Timekeeper : Resolution (ACT 1)
by ASSAULTIER
Summary: Isaac's journey begins. ACT 1 sees Isaac forced to confront the hazards of a new world aided by the crew of Hyperion in the wake of Char. As forces from his own world close in, Isaac must protect his saviors and combat the enemies hunting him, all the while keeping Sarah and Jim unaware of his true nature. Will he succeed at last or falter once more? Next act takes place in Halo...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Isaac squirmed in his chair. The former soldier looked at distant shadows in the room with him. Their hands were cradling a host of deadly tools. No doubt they were figuring out how to recommence the torture. Blood dripped down his forehead and off his head, forming a small puddle on the floor. His arms were no better. Apparently drills were the new 'in' thing with torturers these days. As if that wasn't enough, firearms had been brought into the occasion once. His right leg twitched in pain, a fresh bullet wound right where his knee cap used to be. Isaac struggled with the binds holding him to the leather chair. They were too tight and the sound he made only alerted the shadows to his presence. Great, Isaac thought. Round three was about to commence. Or was it five?

The shadows stepped out into the light to reveal themselves. One of them wielded a huge knife and a set of brass knuckles over his left hand. The other had brought out a syringe. This again? Isaac remembered the last time they did this. He couldn't stop blabbering about how he had figuratively spent time with their mothers. Their stunned looks was just about worth the two drills they stuck in his arms afterwards. The first one opened his mouth and Isaac turned away. The stench was horrendous. Who cleaned his mouth?

" . We've been at this for a few days now. Do you wish to talk?"

"Would you ladies remind me what it is you want? I seemed to have forgotten what with all the blood I've lost." Isaac tried hard to suppress his grin. He did not give them satisfaction. Why start now?

"We wish to know the location of the safe house you're using to store the part. Our employers grow restless with every passing day and your resistance is not helping loosen the noose around our necks." He seemed fearful, almost afraid of what retribution he may face for this.

"I don't know what you're talking. I've been saying this for the past few days. Are you people deaf? Now, can we get on with today's regimen please? I'm feeling slightly perky for some gruel after this." Isaac was not giving up. The interrogator knew this. They had tried everything from waterboarding, drugs, physical torture and even at one point, using cable wires connected to a car battery. The other man looked worried too. If not for the sweat starting to form around his neck, his comrade would thought he was alone in this. Now, he had one more card to play.

"No, I'm afraid not. I believe the fact you would outlast any form of punishment we could possibly inflict. Geron, please take these and put them on the tray. I have no need for them today. His surbodinate grunted and yanked the tools from his colleague's palms. He stepped out, closing the door behind him.

"Now that we're alone, would you like to hear a story?"

"No, thanks. I've already slept." Isaac demonstrated this by yawning loudly into the interrogator's face. The man was not pleased by any stretch of the word. He wiped the saliva from his glasses with a towel, setting it down on a cabinet nearby.

"I believe you will wish to hear this story. It is of importance to you, I'm sure of it."

"Spit it out then. I haven't got all day" Isaac spoke as he wallowed in the irony.

"There was once a man who believed that he was the savior of his home. In reality, he was a psychotic killer who has engineered the mass slaughter of enough souls to even put a number to it. Such a man should not exist. One day, he left his home to explore and he ended up being caught. While the good doctor wanted to put him out of his misery, he was told of the location of the man's family. And the killer told him everything. The end." The man paused, taking the look on Isaac's face. The tortured soul sitting in the hair before looked at him in horror and disbelief. He would not believe.

"Is it not a good story? I thought it was. You see, Isaac? Winners write history. Not you. Now tell me where the safe house is or your precious 'family' shall be drawn and quartered right in front of you.

Isaac did not answer. In those few minutes there, his mind overflowed with information he didn't want. He had to leave now. He wasn't going to take the risk that the man was lying to him. He just couldn't. Isaac formulated a plan in his head. It took all of two minutes before he set it in motion.

"Can I have a drink please? Before I tell you. I don't want to die of thirst in the middle of my story." He said to his interrogator. The man did not think it odd. After all, he had finally broken him. The noose around his neck was gone. He smiled, nodded to his prisoner and walked towards the sink. He reached for a small glass and poured in some clear liquid in addition to the water. Just in case, he thought. He promptly turned around.

That thought was the last mental task his brain would perform before his neck was sliced open in a heartbeat. Blood gushed out of the wound and stained his coat. The man clutched his neck and his eyes made contact with the figure standing above him, wielding the very same knife he had used on his prisoner multiple times. With a gurgle, the interrogator wheezed his last breath and collapsed onto the floor, his eyes rolled back into his skull. Isaac stood triumphant over the man. Now to get out of here.

That plan was derailed when the double doors burst open to reveal Geron holding a stun baton in his right hand and a Swiss Army knife in the other. Isaac raised his own weapon and faced his opponent. They circled each other for several moments before Geron made his move. He lunged with his knife and tried to score a direct hit. Isaac narrowly missed the attack, dodging it with only seconds to spare. Isaac readied himself yet again and focused. Every second he wasted here was another second that security would have to close in on him. Isaac dove underneath as Geron made his move with the baton. Sneaking behind him, he plunged the knife into Geron's back. The man cried in pain but did not go down. All he did was turn around and swing his knife at Isaac. Isaac dodged it yet again and stared in disbelief as Geron recovered and readied himself for another attack. How was he still fighting with a knife up his spine?

That thought was put on hold as Geron lunged once again. He missed and instead broke a couple of test tubes, the glass scattering the floor. Isaac had the unfortunate luck to step into it and he paid for it. He dropped to the ground in pain, clutching his feet and desperately attempting to remove the shards embedded in his skin. Geron did not wait and went in for the kill. Isaac felt time slow down as he rolled out of the way and heard Geron curse as the blade clattered harmlessly against the solid ground. Isaac saw an opportunity and plucked his knife out of Geron. The man screamed in agony and turned around. Isaac waited for his face to show before backing up against the wall. Without a moment to lose, he threw the knife. Time once again slowed down for him and he saw the knife hit dead center in the middle of Geron's eyes. The man went down like a sack of potatoes and slumped to the floor. The room was a mess. Two bodies, a floor literally covered in blood and broken equipment tossed all around. Isaac slumped against the wall and cried. He sat there and stared at the carnage around him, his tear-stained eyes struggling to stay open. After what seemed like eternity, Isaac finally found the strength to get up and walk to the door. He pushed it open and shambled out. His blood soaked footsteps left a trail in his wake but he couldn't care less. All he wanted was to leave. The hallways were empty now, like a ghost town. The only sounds that could be heard was the labored breathing of his own lungs and the cool rush of air that would fill the room from time to time.

The air! Isaac realized that he was near the exit. Eagerly, he attempted to sprint, only to remember that his leg was injured and he was in no condition to run. Wincing with pain, he slowly climbed up the staircase at the end of the hall, clutching the railing for support. The light in his eyes started to blur and his vision began to darken. He was losing blood fast and Isaac saw no way out this time. He usually would have accepted that once. It was a common occurrence with them. Ever since that day, he's always woken up and removed his All-Purpose Magnum from his leather box. He would chamber a round into it and spin the cylinder like a game of Russian roulette. A chance to die at last. Every time, it was either one of two things. Either he lost his nerves and toss the gun aside or pull the trigger only for the gun to click. He could have kept on going until he fired it but his nerves would usually get the better of him. Fate was playing a cruel game with him, toying with him every step of the way. He would often at times scream at the sky for no particular reason just to curse fate for keeping him alive.

Now, he had a purpose. A plan. He reached the next floor before his legs finally collapsed under the strain and he fell down. Refusing to give in, he crawled using his hands hoping to conserve what little stamina his legs still possessed. With difficulty, he reached a nearby room close to the exit and opened the door. Barricading the door behind him, Isaac pulled himself back to his feet. His eyes darted around the room, looking for anything useful. And that was when his eyes laid upon a leather box. A familiar leather box. He ambled slowly towards it, its aura drawing him in. His hands fumbled with the lid. It was surprising he could still do so in his condition. There it was, Isaac mumbled to himself. His trusty sidearm. His friend in a firefight. The APM.

It was an ingenious little device, designed by Isaac himself when he watched combat teams in Europe. They always had too much gear. Smoke grenades, fragmentation grenades, flares, grappling hooks and more. So he sat down and decided to simplify all that into a one handy, portable and efficient gun. By no means a small feat, the platinum plated revolver could do pretty much anything. Its specialized ammo included the aforementioned smoke rounds, high explosive rounds and even a round which extended into a javelin in mid air, perfect for impaling enemies to the wall. At the time of his capture, Isaac had ideas for a prototype round. One which put all others to shame. To his surprise, a single round just as he imagined sat there right next to the revolver. No doubt they were going to test it. Grinning sheepishly, he loaded the bullet into the cylinder. Time to turn the tables on them.

Isaac opened the door slightly, pointing the business end of his revolver down the corridor. Satisfied, he walked out. Still wary, he walked out to the exit and breathed in the fresh air. Ah, what he would do to enjoy the moment for just a second longer. A distinct click clack sound behind was warning enough that the danger had not passed. Isaac calmly turned around and saw to his dismay a pack of armed men in white armor with gold linings adorning his piece. The symbol on their shoulder pieces was that of a golden phoenix, surrounded by flames also made from gold. A man in a white laced suit walked up to the front of the crowd. Isaac knew who it was the minute he stepped forward. The bald head. The menacing pale green eyes. The robes that screamed holy priest. The miniature golden phoenix he wore around his neck like a lucky charm and grey veins visible on his arms.

"Father Phoenix. Or as most people on my home call you, Archer Holden." Isaac kept his revolver hidden from sight. They didn't need to know he was packing. He stared swords at the priest. Archer Holden was no friend of his world but not much of an enemy either since Isaac. Isaac bit his lip. The guy controls the White Phoenix, he thought to himself. If even a quarter of the stories about him are true then the guy in front of him was in command of an army of lunatics and psychos all devoted to 'God's plan." Isaac gripped his weapon even tighter.

"I prefer Father Phoenix if you do not mind. I believe you were thinking of leaving."

"I thought I'd get out a bit. Travel. See the world? Know anyplace I could do that?" Isaac was stalling for time, waiting for the right moment. He knew that. Problem is, so did the good priest and he is not the slightest bit amused.

"Why do you continue to resist us? Surrender the part and we will let you free. This does not need to end with such violence." He said with no attempt to disguise the venom or malice that dripped from his mouth with every word.

"Not happening. If you're going to kill me, do it already."

"Oh, I'm afraid that is simply not possible. We need you alive to recover the part. After all, you didn't just hide it away. Did you?"

"You know what they say. Magicians don't tell their secrets."

"Pity. I hoped to convince you but it appears more brute force tactics will be required." Father Phoenix whipped out a weird-looking device and passed it along to one of his lieutenants. "Enjoy my little present, Mr. Eisenhower. Come, let us leave." With that, Archer walked away and disappeared into the facility, leaving Isaac to the mercy of ten soldiers. Isaac was screwed either way. He was reputed with being a world-class fighter and known for his success against the odds. This though was pushing it a bit too hard. Here he was, facing down 11 guys counting the lieutenant with one round. Granted, the round was quite powerful but not when the troops were too scattered apart to take them down with one shot. The lieutenant brought the device a little closer and Isaac took a glimpse at it. The device was just simply alien, its purple glow oozing with energy. Isaac made a guess that their masters had relinquished a stasis prison for their use. He didn't know nor did he really care. All that mattered was getting out of this alive.

"Can't I convince any of you fine gentlemen to let me go?" Silence. "No? Last call?" Still nothing. Crap, plan B it is. "Alright then, you had your chance." Isaac whipped out his revolver and took aim at the device. The world paused at that moment. Beads of sweat and blood mixed together and rolled down Isaac's left cheek. The guards all fired their weapons but Isaac only saw muzzle flashes and the ringing sound in his ears. His eyes squinted and his finger curled intimately around the trigger. In a split second, he was either going to die or live by some miracle. He hoped for neither. The trigger was pulled, the hammer crashing down on the firing pin and the bullet was ejected with full force from the barrel.

The bullet whizzed past, leaving a trail of smoke behind it. All around it, the white-clad soldiers kept firing at the shooter not even gazing at the bullet. Only one of them was looking. The lieutenant gasped in horror and reached for the device to push it out of harm's way. No such luck as the bullet hit the device. In that split second, the man saw the bullet. Adorned on the side was the tell-tale mark of a nuclear symbol. Swearing the day they decided that continuing that hare-brained project, the lieutenant and his men vanished in a mushroom cloud and they existed no more save for scraps of cloth and bits of skin.

Isaac grimaced as the bullet detonated in front of him. He covered his eyes from the searing light and heat with his hands. And then it was over. He stood there on the plateau, glad that he had escaped without a single scratch. Suddenly, the device started to crack. He knew it would survive the initial blast. There was no doubt about it. It was what happened next that terrified him. The device started to crack, its carbon weaving breaking down and the element contained within became increasingly unstable. Isaac had no warning, only a howl as the crystalline material shattered into fragments. In its place was a black hole which began drawing everything from grass, loose soil and Isaac into it.

Isaac tried to hold on, grabbing hold of a pine tree nearby. This was nothing but wishful thinking as the roots of the trees started to uproot and get sucked in into the empty black void. Isaac still clung on to dear life. He did not survive all that to die in the vacuum of space. Fate played its hand and Isaac lost, the only voice heard the last scream the beleaguered 'savior' would ever make. As quickly as it appeared, the black hole vanished. Archer Holden returned to oversee the chaos with a team. All he saw was a ruined garden, no sign of Isaac and the device all but utterly destroyed save a few pieces of metal. The noose around the interrogator before started to tighten around Archer. His masters would not be pleased at this latest development. Fuming, he angrily pushed aside the soldiers and went back to his office in order to prepare for the inevitable.

It was weird floating in there. It felt like the end, the afterlife. Yet, the afterlife looked a bit too purple for Isaac's tastes. He groaned when he felt more pain shoot into his leg. Isaac closed his eyes, hoping that whatever fate awaited him on the other side that it was quick and painless. His mind flashed back to better, happier times. Of his family enjoying their vacation. Of him and his brother laughing when their father tripped and fell into the pool. Of his sister who he had welcomed into their family with tears of joy. What he would give to return to those days. He drifted into nothingness, blood still pouring from his multiple injuries. Isaac's body floated in the wormhole for days on end. Time passed and Isaac still floated like a feather in the wind.

Isaac could not open his eyes. Come to think of it, he could not even move. Was… Was he dead? Did it finally happen? Isaac was elated. His time was at an end. A voice brought those dreams crashing to reality. Isaac realized he was just unconscious yet his mind was still functioning. With nothing better to do, he did the only thing he could do in that state.

"Doc, how bad is it?" It was gruff, commanding, a man who took charge. Isaac did not pass judgment. He would save it for later.

"Blood pressure's dangerously low. Multiple injuries. Broken bones. Major blood loss. The guy's got it all." He didn't recognize the voice. It was female and that's all she wrote.

"Considering we found him on that hellish planet, it's not a big surprise. Chalk another one she's gonna fell guilty about.

"Do you wish for me to check on her? We have no idea what the artifact does and whether or not she…"

"Don't say it, doc. She'll be fine. She always was a tough one."

"Four years as that thing would break even the strongest person alive. I understand your concern and where it's coming from. I just suggest we keep a close eye on her."

"Done. Once that's done however, attend to this guy. He won't last long like this."

"As you wish, Captain."

The next words were ones Isaac did not know. He knew something was up. He knew he wasn't home anymore. Isaac would have curled in fear if he wasn't paralyzed.

"It's Jim. Enough with the formalities, Ms. Hanson."

Isaac wasn't in Texas no more. He was all alone once again.


	2. The First Of Many

**Chapter 1: The First Of Many**

"I think he's waking up. Call Jim now." Ariel Hanson had said five minutes ago. She was sitting in her chair, sipping a cup of coffee. She sighed as she looked at her computer and saw a bunch of emails from the colonists on Haven. She didn't know them personally as much as they thought she did. Hanson was a scientist, a doctor by nature. It was perfectly reasonable for people like her to move on. Ever since joining Raynor's Raiders, she had become a little more compassionate. A little more understanding. Even then, her decision to help the people of Haven was based on morals, not for any other reason whatsoever. Now they treated her like a childhood friend, someone they knew for a long time. It was far from the truth.

Hanson looked at the Ihan memory shard floating on the pedestal nearby. She shuddered, not dreaming to think of what Jim saw in there. If it was to be believed, the hybrids were a serious threat. One that Hanson firmly believed was brought by man's hubris. Who could forget the time when she saw those things for the first time on the facility in Castanar. Those things had slaughtered everyone who went there. Everyone except Jim himself. Still, if the Dominion were this desperate for an edge in combat, Ariel was undoubtedly worried what the 'Dark Voice' could do with them.

Her pondering was interrupted by a beeping sound. Sitting upright, she looked over at the patient. The man they found on Char. He was an anomaly to be sure. Multiple wounds, massive blood loss. Sure signs of a Zerg attack. Yet, the wounds were not the same. They looked different, yet intentional. If it wasn't the Zerg, who or what had attacked him? And why? Again, she suppressed her urge to ask questions. Just another reason she wished she was born a normal person. She looked over his wounds once again. It had been extremely difficult to replace his blood. Only one person fit his blood type and she isn't exactly looking to create another infested terran. Still, the artificial blood they had seemed to be working brilliantly. Hanson, satisfied with her work returned to her desk. That was the first mistake. The second mistake was ignoring the vital signs on the monitor. The third was turning around and screaming. The patient wrapped an arm around her, throttling the doctor. He dragged her to the operating table and picked up his All Purpose Magnum. The patient took one glance at the cylinder. Ariel saw the look on his face. His dark blue eyes stared at her. She would have screamed again but the patient covered her mouth with his left hand. He laid down his revolver and scanned the room. Finding a nearby pistol, he picked it up and aimed it at the doctor's head. If Ariel Hanson knew fear, this was the time.

Jimmy Raynor, that's what everyone called him. Everyone, even the now dead Tychus Findlay. He regretted having to put a bullet in his friend's face. He hated having to see Kerrigan's face turn pale white and start crying. He hated the Zerg for what they had done. He hated Mengsk for what he unleashed on the sector. He hated everything that has happened so far. Jim has always said that he was no hero. Just a guy who wanted to make a difference. He hated that everyone thought of him so. There was a lot of things he hated now. As the door automatically opened, another person was added to that list.

Sarah Kerrigan sat in her room, still reeling from the events of last week. She had been trapped in her infested body, controlled by a psychopathic personality. Her hands were stained with the blood of six billion. Six billion and one if the man in the infirmary died. Sarah stared at her hands. No-one could even look at her straight. The once proud and cheerful ghost had been reduced to a guilt-ridden, broken and tormented individual. She saw Raynor's eyes. They were filled with the love they once shared. It was still there, she knew that. She also knew that feelings of hatred were at war with his passion for her. It was inescapable. Her mind at least was silent. They said that those who killed were usually haunted by their victims. In a way, Sarah was lucky that she was cleansed of the nightmare that lived inside her.

She looked outside and saw the stars and a planet whoosh past her. Just a few weeks ago, the Queen of Blades would have enacted her plans to take over the entire sector. Would have, if not for Jim's timely intervention. His escapades had drawn her attention away from the true goal to running interference against Raynor's Raiders. By the time the Dominion fleet along with the Raiders had arrived on her doorstep, the plan was scuttled in favor of gaining the power of the Xel-Naga artifact for the Swarm and defending their 'homeland'. She pushed the memories out. It was too painful to relive them. Just then, a soft scream echoed in the ship's hull. Someone was in trouble. Grabbing her environment suit and putting it on, she was surprised to see the suit take on a sickly yellowish-green hue. As if the Zerg DNA in her body wasn't enough to remind her. She scrambled and made her way to the source. If she was going to find redemption, she would have to start somewhere.

"Drop the gun. Now." Jim was a little wary of this new arrival. He was trained, this much he could tell. How much it was hard to say. His pulse rifle remained at the ready, locked and loaded. The patient barely flinched. Not a coward nor a rookie when it comes to hostage situations. The patient spoke,

"Who are you? Where am !?"

Was he joking? Did he not know where he was? Had he been living under a rock this whole time? Raynor cast that aside. If he didn't calm him down, he was bound to do something rash like shoot his hostage.

"My name is Jim Raynor. You're on the battlecruiser Hyperion. We found you on a planet called Char." That's it, he thought. Keep talking. Let him lower his guard. No such luck. The patient tightened his grip on Hanson and pointed the gun once again at her temple.

"Battlecruiser, eh?" His brain processed the thought. "On the sea?"

"What are you talking about, kid? There's been no navy since the 21st century."

The patient froze in place, his hands went numb for a fraction of a second. Where am I? What universe am I in? More and more questions filled his 'in' box in his brain. He realized at that moment, he was not of this universe. Not of their kind. Was it that artifact he destroyed? Should he tell them? Heck, he didn't know whether or not they would believe him. Right there and then, the patient decided to hatch a plan.

Step one. He let go of his hostage and let her scurry away to safety. Second step, ask again where he was and how he got here. Third, lie and say something along the lines of 'I don't remember." With luck, they'll think he has amnesia. He would have made it past the third point if not for an unforeseen factor. That girl in the white hazard suit rushed in just as he released Hanson into Jim's waiting arms. The man in the hulking suit hugged the doctor and whispered to her, no doubt asking her to get to safety. He continued with his ruse, hoping that the jig wasn't up just yet.

"What is your name?" said Jim. The man before him was whimpering, cowering in fear. It was obvious he was utterly afraid by what was transpiring around him. Was he of this world? And if not, what should he do? Sarah gave Jim a worrying look as he edged closer to the patient, who had by now released his grip on the pistol and let it clank silently on the floor. He made no effort to grab it, only sitting in a corner watching Jim slowly shamble forward. He took one glance at the man as he spoke. The man was by all means human in appearance. His short black hair. His long untidy beard. His teary red eyes. Jim paused at this feature. His irises were a deep shade of red, yet Hanson had given him a report not too long ago that the patient was not suffering any other injuries besides the physical trauma they noticed. Raynor immediately deduced that this man was someone special as those with red irises were incredibly rare. To date, only nineteen cases have been reported. Well, reported. It remained to be seen whether they were any more cases. At any rate, it wasn't like he could walk into the Dominion's capital city and make the report. Jim chuckled to himself before perking his ears to hear the man's reply.

"I think… Yes, it was Isaac. Isaac Eisenhower." The man trembled as he spoke, his words uncertain. Jim tried to calm him down but deep down, he would have done the same thing. Amnesia's a tough thing to deal with. He would know. He had been trying to forget the past four years.

Besides him stood another soul who wanted to let all the painful nightmares of the past drift away and never come back. Her memories at the moment were disjointed, scattered. Only fragments, bits and pieces remained. She looked as Jim escorted the man known as Isaac to the gurney and try to talk him down.

"I'm sorry but I must ask if you remember why you were on Char?"

"No. I don't know what you mean. Who is Char?"

"Char is a not a person. It's a planet."

"Is it my home?"

That word disgusted Sarah Kerrigan to the bone. For years, her other personality, the Queen of Blades had made the red planet her home. Her dream of a master race. In reality, most would consider it a living hell. Sarah didn't need to hear. She lived it. So angry at what had transpired, she almost missed the conversation.

"Please. I just want to go home."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Besides we don't know where your home is." Jim was getting tired. He could see that this talk was reaching nowhere fast.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." Sarah replied. Here was a shot at redemption. Take it, she said to herself. Jim stared at her with a blank expression.

"Sarah, are you sure?"

"Yes. I need this. Need to start somewhere right?"

Jim remembered the last few days. He had been going all around the ship, convincing its crew that Sarah had changed. That she wasn't the monster anymore. Many simply did not accept such a request. Not without proof at least. On the other hand, others were more accepting of her. They even began trying to connect with her when she spent her days in the bar, staring at the trophy wall as if it would bring her memories back. The men and women tried to make small talk, invite her for a round of cards. She begrudgingly obliged. She had nothing better to do. What really pained Sarah was the talks they had when downing as many shots as they could to ease the pain of the memories.

"How did you do it?" asked Kerrigan, looking up from her glass.

"How did I do what?" Jim was surprised by this. For the last few days, she seemed unwilling to chat, preferring the motto 'Silence is golden."

"Forget all this?"

"I didn't, Sarah. I kept it bottled up, regretting not saving you. Regretting letting Mengsk get away with it. Regretting that I never told you how much I loved you."

Sarah should have cocked an eyebrow at Jim for his last sentence. She didn't. She knew they possessed a bond that neither could truly explained. In the past few days, they had reconciled with one another. Over drinks. Once in bed even. Jim was eager to continue where they left off. Sarah on the other hand was afraid she'd fall into darkness once more.

"I know. I love you too. More than you could imagine." This was supposed to be the part where the girl kisses the guy. It never happened. She turned away, gulping down the last of her whiskey.

"Bartender, another round." She called, waving her arm. The balding elder shook his head at the two and disappeared behind the counter. He emerged a moment later, a bottle of Scottish whiskey in his hand. Sarah did not wait for him, yanking the bottle out of his hand. She poured the brown liquid into her glass and handed the bottle to Raynor. For a few moments, he contemplated taking the bottle. The addiction was too great for him to resist and the memories were startring to surface. With a grin, he too poured liquid courage into his own glass. The empty bottle was given to the bartender, who shook his head and went in the back. Jim could hear him curse in whispers as he left their sight.

"I know you do. I know you feel guilty for what you've done. I want to help you." Sarah looked at him with a shocked expression. Help her? Why?

"Why would you do that? After Fenix? After the Brood War? Why?"

"Because I realize that the person I hated wasn't you. It was that Zerg infestation. Look at you. You look beautiful. How could anyone believe that a beauty like you could do such things. Darling, I just want to help you put this chapter behind us."

Sarah scoffed at his words, turning her head to face a broken mirror in front of her resting on the shelf. Her braided alien-like hair had shed itself, dropping to her feet as she clutched her body in that place on Char. It was replaced by her own autumn hair, which grew to shoulder-length. Her eyes were no longer the shade of yellow it used to be, now replaced with emerald green eyes. Her body was left intact, still in shape fitting form. If the whistles and whispers behind her back was any indication, most of the male populace on the ship had a hard time looking past her.

Yet, the mirror did nothing to disguise what she truly felt like inside. A monster. An ugly duckling who doesn't deserve what the transformation bestowed upon her. Even now, she questioned the reason she was still alive. In the few days since she's been here, it's all she heard. The prophet, the savior of an entire galaxy. Zeratul, the Dark Templar himself came to her in a dream and reminded her of this. Why? Did Zeratul not hold a grudge against her for her actions during the Brood War? Why was she being given a second chance at life when six billion others did not? Her face contorted into anger, her hand gripping the glass tightly. At last she came to her senses. She would pay back all the lives she took. Anything to relieve the guilt she felt. Anything to repay all the misery she reaped upon countless souls.

"Promise me."

"Promise you what, darling?"

"Promise me that if I start to turn back or if I so much as resemble a threat to any of you, you take me out."

"Darling… I.."

"Promise me, Jim." Her eyes watered with sadness. She sat there, her eyes begging, pleading for Jim to agree. James was never one for promises nor was he good at keeping them. He had failed Kerrigan once. Not again, he told himself.

"I promise."

"Thank you."

And with that, the two downed their drinks, made their toast before retiring to their room. Matt knew what would happen in there. He smiled weakly and switched off the camera in the hallway outside the captain's room as the bridge crew was abuzz with activity. Matt silently nodded to the pilot, who threw the switch and warped them away. Away from Char. Away from the end to a new beginning.

Here he was again, dealing with another prisoner who had forgotten who he was. James looked once again into the man's eyes. They were humble, yet piercing. A sign of a man who didn't exactly engender trust. Still, he wasn't going to flush him out the airlock just for that. Sarah took a seat next to Raynor, examining the patient with her own eyes.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"It looks like. His wounds have healed but I'm more worried about his mental state. I don't want to force you to do this nor was it my first choice but we're out of options. Could you read his mind?"

"If you think that is best, then I will. I trust you, Jim." Sarah nodded. She turned her gaze to Isaac and peered at his crimson irises. Her psychic powers sprung into action, attempting to probe every part of his mind. Instead, all she saw was an empty room, illuminated only by a single bulb in the center. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. The whole room was nothing but pitch black darkness. Her gaze went to a young man sitting in the bulb's shining rays, staring down at the floor.

Cautiously, Sarah approached the lone figure. She extended her hand and placed it on his shoulder. The figure turned and Sarah recoiled in horror. The figure before her was not Isaac. It was the face of someone unknown. What was more horrifying was the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Sarah nearly vomited as she saw through the hole herself and saw the bullet had entered and left the stage quickly. At last the voice spoke in a deep tone.

'You're not welcome here." It hands reached out and grabbed Kerrigan and shoved her down to the ground. Yet she fell as if the ground underneath her had disappeared. She fell into the abyss, screaming in terror. Her eyes opened and she took a step back from Isaac. Who was he? Better yet, what was he? Jim looked at Sarah and then to Isaac. His tone became more pronounced and a hint of anger had made its way in. He was certainly thinking of the myriad of ways he could be thrown off the ship.

"What have you done to her?" He grabbed Isaac by the scruffs of his medical gown and pinned him against the metal wall.

"I don't… I didn't…." Isaac simply mumbled.

"Don't lie to me. Tell me what you did or I'll throw you out there to rot."

"Jim…"

Her voice brought him back. He relaxed for a moment, taking a deep, long breath. Finally he released Isaac, who fell to the floor and whimpered like a school kid on his first day in school. The bully stood tall over him. All he heard was,

"You harm her, you lay a finger on her and you'll wish she was dealing with you. With that, he stormed off and motioned for Sarah to follow him. Sarah watched Isaac curl into the fetal position and hug the wall like he and it were best friends already. Her heart grew heavy and she stepped out, leaving Isaac alone in the infirmary. Little did they know that Isaac let a grin show itself on his lips, pondering his next move.

A day later, Isaac sat on the edge of his bed as Ariel Hanson examined every square-inch of him. He winced as she stitched up another wound. Her eyes were averted from him, only focusing on the problem at hand. Isaac groaned in pain.

"Ow. That hurts." He said while staring at the floor.

"Don't be a baby. You'll be fine."

"If this is about yesterday, I'm sorry. I panicked."

Hanson nodded in agreement. It's true she could not hold him responsible for his actions. Were she to wake to a room full of complete strangers, she'd be bashing their skulls in with anything in the room. Her attention wavered for a moment but it returned, her hands already moving onto another wound. She heard Isaac howl in pain as she poked the wound with a needle.

"It's alright. I forgive you. Not sure my neck does, though." She said.

"I guess I've got a lot to forgiving to get to." He replied with a wry smile.

"I'm sure you will. Speaking of which, I'm done. Try moving your limbs." She pulled off her gloves and watched as Isaac rose from the bed. Isaac made several movements with his arms and then his legs. Next was his back and he arched it backwards, letting a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, doc. I don't know how to thank you." He spoke softly.

"Try not to get killed. I don't need to turn this place into a morgue."

"Are you kidding? You have that thing in there. It's a corpse room already." He jabbed a finger at the dead Zerg floating in its containment chamber. Hanson doubled back in laughter and soon Isaac joined in. The two of them continued laughing for a few seconds before Isaac held his stomach with his arm. He grunted, waving his hand at Ariel who had started to close the distance between them.

"I'm fine. Got to stop laughing though. It'll be the death of me." Hanson sniggered and escorted Isaac out of the infirmary. He nodded and gave a big smile before walking away. Ariel was accustomed to most people and they were rough and rowdy. Yet, she could see in their eyes that their hearts were in the right place. Raynor had been one of them. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside. As the figure vanished from sight, she shook a little. Not because of the cold. Because of something else….

This man was the opposite of what she'd seen.

Sarah sat in their room, looking at the mirror in the bathroom. She could hear Jim outside pulling off his power suit and tucking it into the metal cabinet just across their bed. Theirs. The word had taken a whole new meaning since she returned. She smiled at the memories. Jim was doing his best to remain normal, to treat like a human being when no-one else would. Even when the crew members gave the death stare, he had been there to stand up to them and ask them to give her a chance to find her way into the light.

This caused her to frown, her face wrinkling under the matter. She had no reason to trust any new people. Not one bit. Isaac on the other hand was a different can of worms. She had peered into his mind, only for her to forcibly tossed out. Only people with psionic potential could possibly to do that. Even then, she was by far the strongest psionic individual in the sector, bar none. Maybe that blonde Ghost who had been pecking away at their heels. What disturbed her even more was the brief glance she had. That face. Those pale eyes. That bullet. She shuddered and gripped the edges of the sink. That could be me, she thought. And she wept, her tears a river down her mountain. The man could hear and he rose to climb her mountain. And the rest is as they say history.

James Raynor curled up in the bed, looking at the ceiling. He hadn't felt like this since Lidya. Sarah was quietly sleeping like a baby next to him, her body wrapped under the blanket. His eyes tried to close only for it shudder wide open. Sarah had her ups and downs. The scene in the bathroom was just another pothole in their already suspicious relationship. He should hate her, enough to tear out her guts and send it as a warning to Mengsk. Here he was though, next to a woman he both loved and feared at the same time. His thoughts turned to Isaac, the new arrival. His actions thus far had proven to Raynor that he was no ordinary citizen. He remembered little and judging by the way he avoided him earlier in the infirmary, he wasn't going to open up anytime soon.

Isaac scared him. Maybe it was just nerves but something was off with him. It made his bones vibrate and his nerves to twitch just a little. The man was nothing but smiles and nods. He has been very understanding about his predicament. Why then did Jim feel like a sucker?

Far away, a purplish smoke began to form around the atmosphere of Char. The smoke continued to build in intensity before it collapsed into a crumbling mess. A huge hole appeared and out of it crackled a sound that made it sound like fire and lightning had a baby together. Out of the black wormhole emerged a battle cruiser in the same make and design as any seen in the sector. For everyone, it was a just an ordinary ship.

Yet, the golden phoenix and its distinguishable white paint were the first warning signs. The second was the advanced hardware the ship was packing. Massive laser cannons matching the intensity of those found on Protoss Motherships. Armor like the Zerg's leviathan, only more metallic and less organic. Even the engine was improved. It was a silent core made from a crystalline white, imbedded with golden shards. The last warning was what came after it.

They swarmed through the wormhole. Ships of all shapes and sizes. Fighters. Support ships. Destroyers. Even a science vessel in the form of a dome. The man on the helm was on a mission. Anyone who got in the way was not leaving alive. The fleet emerged through the wormhole and the last few got through before it disappeared as quick as it arrived. The armada moved out, only one thing left on its mind….

Find him and bring him in…..


	3. Introduce and Induce

**Chapter 2: Introduce and Induce**

**A/N : Hello, guys. I know I'm new to this whole writing thing here on this website but I hope to keep writing for as long as I can sustain interest. I'm more a reader than a writer. With that in mind, please review this honestly. I'm willing to accept any ideas on how to proceed with this story or any suggestions to help make this story a success. No dirty stuff. It is strictly remaining a T-rated story with slight gore related bits that might be explained further. Speaking of which, I would like anyone to send me ideas on future stories. I'm more of a make-up-stuff-and-go-along-with-it kind of person. Thanks again and enjoy Isaac's latest chapter.**

Isaac tossed and turned in his cot, beads of sweat running down his neck. The man below him snored loudly, waking Isaac from his nightmare. Deciding that sleep would not help his troubled mind, he clambered out and dressed quickly. Isaac made a beeline for the armory, his APM still safely tucked away in his holster. He had informed Raynor and his second-in-command Matt about his returning memories, namely his profession as a gunsmith and a former Confederate deserter. Anything to keep suspicion off him and allow him some sort of freedom in passing the time. More the latter than the former now that he pondered it. The other option was being confined to a cell. That would undoubtedly send him off the deep end. As if he wasn't there already.

As Isaac sat down facing the weapon bench, the dreams started returning. Isaac shook his head and cleared his mind. Taking his APM out, he dismantled the revolver in a short time. The parts lay scattered across the gun-metal gray steel table. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the engineer Rory Swann turning his wrench on a huge bolt affixed to a huge mech. If Isaac had to harbor a guess, the mech was fully equipped with rockets and laser anti-air along with its dual cannons the size of a cruiser back home. Well at least before. He was thinking about home again.

Home? Would he be able to go home? Could he after all this time? Ironically, only time would tell. His shoulders slumped forward and his hands dexterously cleaned each and every bit and bob clean to a tee. Isaac concentrated on ammunition mostly. Now that he belonged in an unknown environment, he had to scavenge materials to produce ammunition for his magnum. Trouble is, he had no clue on what kind of materials exist in this plane of existence and even where to find it. It was a challenge Isaac was desperate to overcome as quickly as possible. For now, he was content to reconfigure the pulse rounds into non-lethal taser-like bullets. He reassembled the revolver in no time flat, giving the onlooker Swann a sight to behold. The cylinder whizzed open and humbly accepted Isaac's gift, whirring back into place amidst the gun frame. Isaac, satisfied with the day's work picked up the revolver and holstered it on his belt.

"Fine looking piece of hardware you got there." said Swann with eager eyes.

"Yes, it is. And the answer to your question is no. I don't want someone to blow his own head off." chuckled Isaac.

"You think I can't shoot a gun?" he retorted.

"You could. I assume by the mechanical arm however that you prefer close-quarters combat, the right-in-your-face kind."

"And this thing isn't built for distance."

"Watch and learn, my friend."

Isaac pulled out the revolver and took aim at a faraway target, Squinting and staring down the iron sights, he took a deep breath to stabilize himself before curling his finger around the trigger and squeezing it gently. The Magnum kicked Isaac back a few centimeters but the results were downright impressive. The bullet made contact with a chunk of metal nearly 700 yards away and crackled with the raw energy of electricity surging into it. Swann simply looked on in, his jaw figuratively dropping to the ground with a dull thud. Isaac nodded to the engineer before making his way towards the exit. Before he got there, Swann decided there and then to speak up.

"I thought you were an amnesiac?" Isaac bit his lip. Curse himself for showing his hand. No matter. I can turn this in my favor. He spun around to meet Swann's startled gaze. His gaze was only half at Isaac and the other was to the block of metal sizzling far away from them.

"I…don't know. Maybe the adrenaline kicked in?" Isaac shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands.

"Oh..okay then. See ya around, I guess."

"I…I… Thanks." With that, Isaac left the room while the grizzled mechanic simply turned away and continued with his work.

"Here we are. This is the cantina. Most of our boys come here to wet their whistles and drown their sorrows away." Jim waved his hand to the entire room. Raynor had decided to give his new passenger a run-down of the ship first-hand. One of the reasons was to familiarize him with the ship in the hopes of restoring his memories. Secondly, he wanted to keep an eye on Isaac, fearing for Kerrigan's safety. Inside, his stomach churned just looking at him. It wasn't just him. All the patrons in the bar tried smiling at their new arrival, only to shrivel away in disgust as soon as Isaac turned his back towards them. At least he wasn't alone in this thought process.

"Over there is the bar. We've got some decent drinks should you choose to do so and some tables with holograms for your viewing pleasures." Raynor pressed on a red button underneath the table and a blue hologram of a stunningly beautiful woman in sexy clothes appeared before the two men, dancing provocatively using a stripper pole.

"I… think I'll pass. Not that I'm not into girls. Just doesn't feel right for some reason. Sorry." Isaac hit the button yet again and turned the projector off. Raynor nodded and simply proceeded on with the tour. As the two were about to leave, a striking man in dark-blue coat with golden adorning on his clothes got off his seat and walked towards them, extending his hand.

"I believe the commander hasn't introduced us yet. Matt Horner, second-in-command of the Hyperion.

"Isaac. Isaac Eisenhower." He returned the gesture, shaking the man's cold callused and rough hands with his own. Isaac did not know what to make of this young gentleman before him. Trust or doubt?

"Excuse me, Matt. We're on our way to the science lab. We need to get going."

"Why don't I go? You can go check up on Kerrigan this way."

"You sure, Matt? I don't exactly trust him that much." He spoke in a soft, hushed tone as to avoid Isaac from listening in on their discussion.

"I know what Kerrigan means to you, boss. Don't worry, I'll make sure he falls in line." Matt replied in the same tone.

"That's settled then." Raynor nodded to Matt and then to Isaac before calmly walking out of the cantina.

"I guess I got you as a babysitter."

"It seems you do."

"Shall we then?" Isaac suggested, pointing in the general direction of the lab.

"You first, Mr. Eisenhower." Matt Horner stepped out and walked out into the hallway.

"Dr. Hanson, I see you're busy yet again." Matt smirked as he escorted Isaac into the lab.

"As always with you people. I see our patient is up and about."

"That he is, Ariel. Is Stetmann around? I wish for him to show our visitor around the lab."

"I'm here! Coming!" piped up a squeaky voice from the back. Isaac turned in the direction of the sound. Out popped a skinny man dressed in a long white coat, the same as Hanson herself. The kid looked young and quite geeky with his decently sized spectacles. That and the kid started babbling.

"I..er… checked on the containment unit. It's good to go down.. I mean last.. no wait…" Stetmann stammered.

"Calm down, Stetmann. I would like you to meet our newest arrival, Isaac Eisenhower. I thought it best if you could show him around the place for a bit." Matt barely contained his laughter. The poor kid was naïve at best. He was a prodigy genius, he'd give him that. Glancing at Hanson, he could tell she was fighting back her desire to burst out laughing.

"Sure…Right this way, gentleman. I mean, gentlemen." Stetmann ushered the two into the main lab behind him, peeking at Hanson one last time before following the other two through the door. He just could not resist. She did have certain 'assets' he was dying to use. As he rejoined the duo, he saw Isaac's jaw figuratively open wide. The room was amazing in his eyes. Computers with screens filled with incomprehensible digits. A table cluttered with alien artifacts and mechanical scrap parts. On the other end, robotic arms were bust at work reconfiguring a piece of armor with various crystals and metals. The whole room was bathed in a shade of light green emanating from a small dome right above them. Isaac was beyond impressed. Flabbergasted was more appropriate.

"It's something, isn't it?" joked Stetmann, clearly reveling in the joy of having an interested visitor rather than the usual parade of 'get things done' kind of folks who inhabited this vessel.

"I'm not lying when I say this place is something I haven't seen before. Not familiar though, sorry." Isaac directed this last part to Matt, who nodded slightly at this.

"In any case, it's great to have such an eager guest to my lab. Not that Mr. Raynor isn't welcome or you for that matter. I..uh probably should stop talking now." Stetmann stammered.

At that particular moment, the familiar rocky tone of their commander burst out over the sound waves.

"Matt, we have to discuss our next course of action. Mengsk is not going to wait. Meet me in the war room." Matt grinned. Finally, he could not take looking at Isaac for a second longer. Those eyes simply creeped him out, big time.

"I'm afraid I must cut this visit short. If you desire Mr. Eisenhower, perhaps you would be interested in staying here and learning from our esteemed scientists for the moment." Matt laughed internally at his words. Stetmann had trouble stringing a sentence together. Not really scientist material, he thought. Still at least, Dr. Hanson was still around. That counted for something.

"I do not mind. Thank you, Mr. Horner."

"Anytime. Holler if you need anything."

"Your ship, your rules." Isaac cheerfully said. Matt smiled once more before he strode out of the lab and to the situation room. Thank God he didn't have to deal with him a second longer or he'd want to chuck him out the airlock. He did put on a big grin at Stetmann's next words as he disappeared from their sight.

"Awesome. Hey, want to see the really cool stuff?" His voice was simply filled with joy and excitement.

Isaac smiled as he returned to the weapon table in the armory. He had been patient and listened intently to every word the kid said. He seemed eager and naïve, exactly how most people were in their early days. Life seemed really pleased with taking people and stripping as much innocence as possible as time made its course. Fighting it was inevitable. So he once believed. At least the conversation ended on a high note. Isaac recalled seeing several rare elements and crystals simply sitting unused in a small containment box. Questioning Stetmann, he was told that those materials were pretty standard and kept them just in case they ran out of supplies and got pretty desperate. Emergency supplies, he called them. Not anymore once Isaac persuaded the kid to hand them over with his silver tongue. He joked that he should upgrade it to a golden one after all this time.

Isaac picked up a small blue crystal and twisted it around in his fingers, examining every flaw and feeling the raw energy emanating from it. Stetmann called it terrazine, a natural mineral used as a trading commodity and as a standard currency for most of the sector. Some radical xenophobic groups saw this as a affront to their way of life, preferring to stick to their old currency. Those people however by now were few and far in between. Isaac was not interested in starting a bank account. He was more enthralled by what this crystal might provide for his ammunition. Setting his tools out, he began to work his magic right there and then. Several members of the flight crew and the engineers as the armory was so conveniently placed near the hangar watched as he shaped the crystal and bended it to his will. There were several gasps and mutters of 'whoa' and 'Holy' tossed around. Isaac simply tuned them out and let his fingers dexterously float across the table with rapid precision.

At last, a staggering three hours later, Isaac stood back to admire his handiwork. Sitting on the bench was his new specialized ammunition he dubbed Crystalline Prison. No guesses were needed as to what it did. Still Isaac took six rounds and chambered them into the revolver. The rest of the ammunition he handed to a stunned crewman with explicit orders to 'offer' them to the commander. A light flick of the wrist and the man was off, carrying his package. Isaac longed to test his invention so he made his way towards the shooting range. Just in time, he heard the dull thumps of boots, one male and one female. Isaac could tell easily. All he did was recline in his chair and watch as Raynor and Kerrigan strode through the double doors and cast his eyes on him.

Jeez, these guys look serious. James was nothing but enraged, his mouth twitching slightly as if he mangled a nerve. Isaac was more worried that his eye would pop out at any given moment. Kerrigan was equally upset yet it was combined with a genuine show of curiosity and interest. Isaac simply frowned, raising his eyebrow and staring blankly into their eyes.

"What the hell kinda game you playing at?" James broke the silence.

"What do ya mean? You didn't like my present?"

"It was a box of experimental ammunition. You ever heard of the word experimental? It means not tested and potentially unstable." James' voice was direct, to the point. Isaac saw his point but decided to counter the argument.

"I gave you a warning, didn't i? I sent that box of ammunition so you could meet me down here to see whether they work or not. For the record, I highly doubt my job as a gunsmith gave me much of a chance to screw up." Isaac smiled like a clown, all creepy and scary-like yet amicable at the same time.

"Not the point. Someone could have died."

"Again, I have not tried it out yet. Were it high-explosive rounds or anything of the sort, I would have sent it in a blast-proof glass box. That is if you people have even have them."

"Again, not the point. I hate repeating myself."

"Fine. I'm sorry. Can I please test my non-explosive, non-lethal, non-threatening ammunition now, dad?" Isaac forfeited, throwing his hands in the ears.

"Don't see any harm in doing so, son? Do you agree, Kerrigan?" He turned to address his girlfriend. Well, friends with some questionable benefits.

"If it gives us an edge against Mengsk and those.. those.. things, then I'm okay with it." Sarah calmly replied.

"Glad to see someone has some bloody sense here."

"Keep it up and your common sense is getting spaced along with the rest of you."

"Charming. Looking forward to it. Shall we fire this puppy?"

James and Sarah got behind a reinforced wall and bullet-proof glass window and watched as the man whipped out his tool and clicked open the cylinder, checking that all was in order before clicking it back into place. Isaac raised his weapon and took aim at a distant target. His finger squeezed the trigger and let loose a single round.

The results were shocking to put it even mildly. James and Sarah looked on with a look of pure shock and surprise plastered over their face. A blue crystal started to form on the paper target and continued to grow and grow. Soon it enveloped the target completely, encasing it in a crystal prison. James fought his instinct to walk in right there and then. What next? Crystal bars and a door made from the material? Sarah was just as equally dumbfounded. If someone had told her she would see a man develop a working prototype in just three hours, she would bet that person a round on the house and ask for the money in advance. Then again, she certainly could never predict she'd become the Queen of Blades for four years. Still, she found herself flabbergasted by the result. Who was this guy?

Isaac pumped his fist in the air in triumph and holstered his weapon but not before removing the remaining five rounds and arranging them in one of the booths. A big wide grin presented itself on him as he rejoined the other two behind the wall.

"Well? Any good?" Isaac asked. Even then, his question was resoundingly answered, judging by the look on their faces. He has reeled in a big fish and boy was he cooking it for dinner. Isaac was simply basking in the look on their faces as much as he could. Eventually, they awoke from their stupor and turned to face him.

"How did you…" stammered Raynor for the first time in well… a long time. Even Sarah was taken aback by this reaction. Surprised, no she was not. Isaac did just pull off a feat which even the most talented researchers available would be hard-pressed to duplicate. Sarah decided to speak up for Raynor as she saw her lover try to string together a coherent sentence.

"What he means to say is how you were able to create this."

"Simple. I took some of your spare terrazine and ground it into fine dust. Taking that dust, I imbued it with several experimental substances I created earlier and used it in place of the standard jacket-casing on the bullet. For the powder, I replaced the black powder and used an inhibitor and a controlled release timed oil to ensure the bullet does not immediately crystallize as soon as it leaves the barrel. I could continue on if you'd like." Isaac was positively beaming at his results. Even he could not have predicted such a successful test in such a short time.

"No. No, that will not be necessary. I suppose thanks are in order. With this, we could easily capture any high-ranking officers and officials with little ease."

"I aim to please. After all, you people saved my life. Least I could do to repay it."

"I see. Raynor, are you alright?" Kerrigan's voice was filled with concern for Jim, who was still gawking at Isaac like a long lost puppy.

"I'm fine." he answered. "Any other further details we should kept appraised of?"

"The crystal prison will last for a while. About one day or so is the best estimate I can give you. Another thing, this type of ammunition is not strong enough that it will hold anything. The crystals are far weaker than its purer form. Therefore, a large enough force applied to it will shatter it completely. Lastly, the impurity in the crystal gives a lighter weight, meaning it will not weigh much save for the captive's original weight plus a few kilograms give or take."

"Anything else?" Raynor by now had fully recovered from the shock and was trying his best to speak to Isaac in a civil manner.

"I believe not. Shall I resume work or will I be confined to my quarters?"

"I'll decide that later. For now, you may return to your quarters."

"As you wish."

Isaac left the room in fits of joy and happiness. He had already done this several times back home but it still felt great when he would finally crack any new substance's secrets and use in a productive way. The euphoria and adrenaline rushing through his veins at that moment was difficult to describe but easy to spot. Several crew members simply gave Isaac a funny look as he walked back to his room, resisting the urge to break into a song and dance.

The two just stood there for several moments. Behind lay the crystallized target still glistening in the rays of light filling the cold dark room. Jim slammed his fist onto the table in one of the booths. The table rattled under his fist and stray rounds clattered across it, some even clanking and dropping onto the ground. Jim didn't give a damn, nor did that help relieve his pent-up rage. That man was by far the most aggravating and most distrustful person he'd ever met bar none. Considering the woman standing right behind, that itself was a tall order to reach. Yet, the man had done nothing but be kind and help wherever he could. Why then did Jim harbor such feelings for the man?

Sarah just stood there and watched and Jim released his unknown anger at whatever stood before him. First it was the chair behind the wall. Next were several of the tables in the booths. He was about to release his fury upon the training pistols on the shelf nearby when Sarah decided to end this farce. She reached out with her arm and held Jim back by his shoulder. Jim swung around to meet Sarah's eyes and instantly his face softened and returned to show a small smile on his lips. Picking up the chair he just knocked over, he sat there in the corner looking at the door Isaac just left through with seething anger.

"What was the heck was that all about?" queried Kerrigan finally, finally breaking the silence between them.

"I don't know… Jeez… I don't know. Something about him creeps me out."

"But not me?"

"Sarah, you know that I…"

"That you what? Love me? I know. Yet, you can't get over this guy. I've killed about 6 billion people and you're the only one who has the guts to look me in the eye and tell me it wasn't my fault."

"It wasn't…" James started but was cut off by Sarah once again.

"You can accept me. You can accept this weird relationship of ours. We both want it. Heck, we both need it. How then can you not accept a man who's lost everything? His memory? His past? All he's done is help us and be cooperative. What could honestly create such hatred for him?"

"It's not just me! Ask anyone else here about him. They'll tell you the same thing! Why can't you see that?" James replied in an exasperated tone.

"I do see it. Unlike most of you, I push it aside because I know what it's like to hated by everyone. I know what it's like to have no control of the situation. I know what it's like to feel alone. I understand where he comes from."

"You're different. You were not responsible for any of this. If there's anyone to blame, it's Mengsk. He left you to rot that day. This guy doesn't have that excuse."

Sarah threw her hands up in disgust and contemplated walking out the door. Walking away from this little thing they have going. As she made to open the door, she paused and pondered her words. After just a brief moment, she turned around and planted a huge kiss on Jim's lips, savoring its every moment as much as she could. Jim returned the favor. Both the ghost and the commander wanted the moment to last but Sarah pulled away, her flesh breaking contact from his.

"Don't think because I don't love you. I do. You have been patient and understanding when no-one else was. For that, I'm grateful. I know you stood up for me when everyone wanted me dead, prophecy be damned. Understand this however." She pulled Jim closer to her. Her breath fell on his soft skin and she whispered into his ear.

"You're giving Isaac more reasons to hate us. You're giving him that excuse."

With that, Sarah simply trudged to the door and left Jim alone in the training room. Both participants in this wacky bond contemplated the other's words, wanting to accept either their own beliefs or the ones presented by their partner. The shooting range and the hallway were eerily silent that day. Not even a whistle of the wind to be heard. That only made the thoughts more painful.

Isaac simply laid his head on the bed, his eyes flickering awake. He had been trying to sleep for the past hour. Nothing. Not even white sheep over a picket fence could dull this feeling he had. A hidden one no less. Isaac had noticed Raynor's reaction along with Kerrigan's earlier that day. They were surprised, that they didn't lie about. The tone however indicated something else. Like as though they couldn't stand his presence. Tossing and turning in his bed, Isaac tried desperately to delay resolving it like many of his research papers back then. He was no scientist but the work he had done was required no less to be written down for future reference as well as a copy if the unfortunate were to occur. No such luck. His mind simply prodded his subconscious to open the file and write something. Isaac swore that one of his dreams culminated in a disembodied oversized hand thrusting a pen too small for its use into Isaac's palm before indicating to the file on the desk before him and ordering him to write.

Isaac knew that making friends or allies was out of the question. He wouldn't do it. Not if it meant throwing them into the grinder to be mulched into meat. Isaac shook his head again and once again attempted to force his stubborn mind to grant him reprieve. Again, he failed and his eyes shot open at the thought of that hand pushing him back out the door like a wife asking his lazy husband to go to work. Isaac had no choice but to sit on his bed and ponder the point. On one hand, he could leave without answering their questions. No one would be the wiser. That juncture however would only serve to antagonize this band of fellow warriors to fight against him on the wrong side. Framed as they would call it. Sarah's face earlier indicated she was a troubled woman, haunted by her past. Almost just like him. Even then, he could not count on her support or understanding in the matter. The other option would be to tell them and show them proof. Again, it had its downsides. The most particular detail Isaac worried about was their commitment, their dedication. Telling the truth would send them on the warpath straight into the jaws of death. Another soul on his conscience let alone 50 or more would not do for him. Isaac laid all out to his mind and closed his eyes. He smiled as he lost track of the world.

His mind had finally let him go to his dreams.

Far away, Mengsk was stewing in his swivel chair overlooking a vast city. Below him, the denizens of the Dominion Republic shambled back and forth, simply going about their everyday life. Mengsk could feel something different right from the start. It was one disaster after another. First, that birdbrain Raynor had sabotaged his popularity by broadcasting that infernal conversation of his usage of the psi-emitters to Kerrigan. Next was his brazen assault on the secret facility orbiting Castanar. All his experiments, all the years of research on those things. Down the drain thanks to Raynor and his men. If that wasn't enough, his own son, his only heir to the Dominion hired Raynor himself to assist in a (at the time) harebrained scheme to destroy the Queen of Blades' hold on the Zerg. How he loathed that conversation .He could picture it back then, Jim and Valerian having a laugh at his expense rewinding and replaying every moment of that mess. To add salt to an already extensive and deep wound, the convict Tychus Findlay failed in killing the frigid and frail Kerrigan. It all came back to Raynor. At the mere thought of that idiot, Mengsk lashed out and tossed his desk. Papers flew everywhere and memorabilia that had been sent by little kids scattered and shattered on the carpet covering the floor.

His popularity was at an all time low. The outer colonies were already in nigh on riots and rebellion. Even now, his inner sanctums were whispering treachery and plots to assassinate him was at an all time high. Burying his head in paperwork, he heard his secretary announce the arrival of several men. Ah, yes. His appointment. Something to look forward to. A splinter group from some other sector or perhaps Earth even had contacted him about a proposal to help the beleaguered dictator salvage what little remained of his dynasty. As the doors behind him clattered open, he brushed several beads of sweat off his face and turned to meet the new guys on the block. All of his bets now depended on what he had to offer. Offering his hand, Mengsk finally saw the face of his new ally.

"Pleasure to meet you. I hope we can come to a suitable agreement, Mr…"

"I believe we can, Arcturus. Call me Archer. Archer Holden."

**A/N : I hope more people will give their honest opinion on this and review it. Bear in mind this is the first act. Speaking of which, let me know what the next act's universe should be. Thanks and I hope to write more soon.**


	4. Mystery upon Mystery

**Chapter 3: Mystery upon Mystery**

**A/N : This story represents only Act 1 of the overall story. As such, many plotholes will be left lying about for the next story. This particular story may have 2 to 4 more chapters in it. In this one, Isaac faces trouble from home and on the ship. Enjoy!**

Isaac felt groggy. Of course he did. It was his fault for sleeping in late last night. His pale red eyes flickered open as it was assaulted by the blinding light of the lamp above his bed. Isaac raised a hand to shield himself from the harmful rays, almost as if he was a vampire. Isaac laughed at that. Vampires sounded far-fetched for most people. Him? He had seen enough weird stuff in the world that it no longer mattered. Rising slowly from his bed, he opened up the locker adjacent to his bed and pulled out some clothes. Jim had given him some spare engineer overalls from Swann just for the time being. Considering that Swann was twice as small and twice as big, Isaac was almost certain it would not fit at all. Lo and behold however, Isaac found it to be a perfect fit after all. Isaac smiled into the mirror inside the locker for a moment and took a glance at the man staring back at him.

Isaac was by no stretch of the word handsome nor was he ugly. A happy medium, the doctor once said. No chiseled jaw or rugged looks, just normal plain ones. His beard was quite long by now, about several centimeters long. The pale red eyes were nothing new. He had them since he was born, a dominant trait in his family so to speak. Isaac looked down at his body. A normal sized frame stared back at him. Not out of shape but not exactly bodybuilder of the year, thought Isaac. Shaking his head, he closed the locker and reached for his revolver and holster in one of the drawers of the end table to his right. Isaac stopped for a moment, reopened the locker and peered right back into the mirror. Red eyes? Was it… no it couldn't be… Yet there it was, staring right back. By the way he looked at his reflection in the mirror, many would think he was staring at a completely different person. Isaac's frown twisted into one of pain and his fist slammed into the mirror, ironically 'mirroring' his state of mind at that point. Isaac slammed the door shut and left the broken mirror there. Walking out of his room, a trail of blood followed in his wake fed by the drip of red fluid exuding from his hand.

Jim was sipping away at his coffee that morning, staring out into the empty blank state that they called space from the captain's chair. His eyes were surrounded by dark black bags, indicating to most of the bridge crew that last night was a terrible night. They couldn't blame him. It had been three weeks since they rescued the stranger known as Isaac from the surface of the forsaken planet. Sarah saw this as well while chatting with Matt about their next course of action. She chose to ignore the warning signs and left the bridge, shaking her head back and forth as she passed Raynor, her red hair swinging back and forth. Matt also ignored Raynor's gaze and returned to handing out orders to the crew. All of this, Raynor saw with a sense of amusement. The crew knew perfectly well that Jim did not exactly trust Isaac ever since their little 'incident' in the shooting range two weeks ago. They too shared this feeling once. As time passed however, Isaac was seen in a new light by everyone. Swann liked the mechanical prodigy, claiming that he could rival even the best engineers out there. Stetmann was simply overjoyed that he could talk to some of equal intellect besides his obvious crush. Ariel Hanson found his work helpful and came to regard the man as an honest guy, joking sometimes about her hostage situation sometimes. This brought Jim nothing but irritation. How could she joke about such things? Only Sarah remained on the fence of this, clearly expressing her doubts that Isaac was a threat. At the same time however, she couldn't help but agree Isaac was hiding something. Her attempts to pierce his mind during his weekly check-ups with Dr. Hanson proved to be nothing but a string of failures. Every time she would enter and every time, she would forced out by that guy with a bullet hole in his forehead. Who was he? Was it part of Isaac's subconscious?

Jim meanwhile was busy destroying the remnants of the Swarm with the aid of Sarah, dealing with the fractured Dominion empire and also investigating the hybrid threat. More specifically, the mention of the leader that supposedly controls them. One was the swarm of monsters which had cost him almost everything. His good friends. His lover. The mass slaughter of nearly six billion people. The next was the empire led by the man who made it all possible. Arcturus Mengsk was top on the list for both Sarah and Jim and both undeniably agreed that he had to die for what he's done. The last was a new threat, only recently brought to his attention by Zeratul, a Protoss Dark Templar and one of his main allies. The hybrids' dream was of a master race similar to that of the 20th century's Nazis. Unfortunately, they mean to kill all life in the sector for that purpose alone. Humans and Protoss alike were in danger from not only the attacks of the hybrids but also the possibility of being attacked by brainwashed Zerg remnants. Jim was juggling all that in his mind. It's a small wonder his brain hasn't just exploded.

Yet Jim still found time to ask himself about Isaac. The self-proclaimed gunsmith was indeed very knowledgeable about his craft, he gave him that. His actions so far have implied that Isaac wished nothing more than to help his saviors and assist in any way possible. All that and still he and most others agreed that Isaac was hiding something. Jim also found it odd that those same people thought that Isaac's presence did not exactly engender trust with the man. Who is he? What was he doing on Char? What's his real motivation? All good questions with no concrete answers. Just then, his screen and Matt's started flashing and the distinct message told them everything he needed to know.

Here we go again…

Several hours later, Isaac was working on his latest experiment in the armory when Swann dashed past him with a worried look plastered on his face. At first thinking nothing of it, he was about to resume with his task when several dozens of men dressed in combat armor sauntered past him as well, making their way into transport ships. This aroused Isaac's curiosity. Scrambling quickly and stashing his tools away, Isaac walked over to Swann who was giving gestures to the flight crews and engineers on deck.

"Hey, Swann. Mind telling me where the party is?"

"On a dusty planet called Mar Sara. Ever heard of it?" the dwarf-like man grinned from ear to ear.

"Can't say I have. Why? Something important there?"

"It's our commander's home. He holds a candle for the place, seeing as it's where his family is now. I swear these people just can't get the hint. You'd think that being attacked by the Zerg twice would knock some sense into them."

"Some people are just plain stubborn." Isaac chuckled softly. He didn't just know about people like that, he was one of them. "What's this about Jim's family?"

"No-one told you the story?"

"I'm not ten years old. I think I can sleep without a bedtime story." He sarcastically replied.

"Well someone's a late bloomer." He retorted.

"Speak for yourself, buddy." Isaac jabbed a finger at Swann.

The two men laughed their behinds off. Swann was nearly buckling under the strain, his tool lay forgotten on the table. Isaac was gripping the same table for support, the laughter making it harder to stand upright.

"Well… That was fun, wise-ass." Swann began, barely containing his laughter as he wiped the grin off his face.

"Kudos to you, short-stick." Isaac sniggered.

"Look, why don't you ask Jim yourself? I'm sure he'd…" Swann began.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea, Swann. No offense but your C.O's got a grudge against me. I don't suppose you know why."

"Hell if I know. Look, just give the guy some time. He'll come around. I'm sure of it." Swann reassured, patting Isaac on the waist since he could not reach Isaac's height.

"Thanks. So am I going?" Isaac's eyes widened like as though he was a kid in a candy store. "Please? I'm going stir crazy in here."

"Not my call. Besides I like seeing you go mad." Swann smirked.

"Not when you have a knife to your neck in the middle of the night." Isaac countered. Swann's face turned serious. Shoot, now he really had to get this lunatic off the ship.

"Fine. Only because I quite fancy my neck." Swann sighed in defeat.

"Thanks, pal." Isaac nodded. As Isaac walked over to a nearby dropship, Swann busied himself with the manifest. Looking over some of the tools, he watched as Isaac chatted with the pilot who simply nodded and pointed at the hangar bay of his ship. The ship itself was quite simple considering. Twin engines powered by an unknown material. A main hull that could fit up to 25 people or several hundred tons of supplies. Triple chain guns for devastating close range fire support. The pilot was proud of her beauty. Nodding in thanks, Isaac disappeared up the ramp and into the ship. As the ship went through its pre-flight checkup, Swann sat down on his comfy chair and pulled out a can of beer. The dropship took off, leaving the dwarfish engineer on the flight deck with piles of crates and gear awaiting the next ride down to the accursed planet. Swann smiled, twisting the bottle slightly before taking a swig of his beer. Peace at last.

To be honest, Isaac had no experience being in space. Perhaps that one time but that was quite a long time ago. Now, the tell-tale signs of motion sickness started to appear on his face. His face turned pale-green and he bowed forward, letting out a stream of vomit onto the floor. Needless to say the marines sitting next to him were not at all pleased.

"Jeez, can't hold your lunch in a one minute kid?" said one marine.

"What a wimp." cried another power-armored buffoon from the back.

"That is disgusting." noted another idiot.

"Well, well…" said a gruff and distinct voice.

Aw, crud. Isaac recognized that voice. Turning his head and wiping excess puke from his mouth, he saw James Raynor standing at the door to the cockpit. He was fully decked out in a black-matte combat armor suit with a skull and crossbones on one of the pauldrons, giving the suit a pirate feel. The suit added ten pounds to the guy and made him look like a bodybuilder made of steel. Even the helmet was painted with a Grim Reaper face on it, no doubt to instill fear into his enemies. His hands were wrapped around a large gun, a C-14 gauss rifle as he was informed by Swann. Those massive things were supposedly standard issue and loaded with Kal-5 rounds. Back home, stuff like this was supposed to be urban myths. Looking at his revolver in his holster, he felt particularly tiny at this point like an ant looking up at a human. Still, he'd rather bet his life on his trusty piece of machinery rather than space-tech.

To his left stood Sarah Kerrigan, a beautiful female with long auburn hair, a face sculptured into pure beauty and a figure that would give nosebleeds to any self-respecting straight guy. Too bad Isaac had dealt with females like this. He wasn't looking to score with her anyway. He respected that she was Raynor's property and rightfully so. Even if she was not, Isaac had enough encounters with people like her to almost want to chuck her out the ship. Well, thought Isaac. At least she wasn't blonde. Her curvaceous body was completely covered in a silicon-metallic like environment suit that accentuated her assets rather than hide it. Bright yellow lines shimmered on the suit itself, running all the way from her legs to her arms and to the collarbone too. With a confused look, Sarah was not at all pleased with the color. Neither were the two marines closest to her. Wasn't it the normal color for those kind of suits? Then again, he didn't know this 'universe'. Different place, different rules. She was carrying an upgraded C-11 sniper rifle fitted with a grenade launcher firing neuro-radiation grenades. Those grenades were concentrated bursts of radioactivity that the Zerg's regeneration factor will altogether cease to function, allowing the acid to melt the target with extreme prejudice. The couple were decked out and ready to rumble. Isaac hated to be anyone who got in their way.

Jim raised his helmet and Isaac could see two cold eyes glaring at him. Oh, wait. I'm one of them, he groaned to himself. Jim spoke up over the sound of the engines.

"Scared, Isaac?" he said, taunting the gunsmith.

"There's a difference between sick and afraid. Get a pair of glasses."

"If you say so. Hope you enjoy your last ride because by the way you're geared up, you may not make the return trip alive if at all."

Isaac frowned at this remark only to realize the ship's eyes all over him. It was true Isaac was not much to look at. Not only was he wearing no power armor, he also didn't have on any sort of protection aside from the engineer overalls and his suit tucked away underneath it. Jim and Sarah had taken a look at it, declaring it unfit for duty. The same could be said of his puny gun. Jim almost rolled on the floor in laughter when he reexamined Isaac's pea shooter. Sure it could fire specialized ammunition but the caliber was so pathetic that even a measly Zergling could probably survive it. Just you wait and see, thought Isaac that day as he left a chuckling Jim and a disappointed Sarah behind. His mind returning to the present, he snorted out loud.

"You haven't seen anything yet." He grimaced.

"I don't have to. That thing is a joke."

"We'll see then, shall we?"

Isaac was regrettably getting sick of this behavior. It reminded him too much of his own home. There it was again, the dream to go home. Even if he could, he wouldn't. Not after that… Isaac just sat down in his seat and slumped against the wall of the ship's interior. He cast a glance at the two lovers who were now holding hands as well as pecking each other on the lips. Isaac turned away. No saw his eyes as it welled up in tears, crying silently for none to see.

A mere two hours later and the dropship touched down on Mar Sara. Home, thought Jim. Home at last. He hadn't been home since all this happened. He'd never stay too long. The memories of his family would see to that. Instead, he comforted himself with the thought of seeing his home planet another time. Sarah herself was torn between her feelings for the place as she brushed a tuft of hair from her eyes. On one hand, she had hoped that Jim and she could have a normal life here when this was all over. On the other, she awaited the inevitable. The stares, the insults. The pain of watching the surviving inhabitants stare at her with menace and venom. Blaming her. Even the children ran away, having seen the bogeyman their parents had told stories about. She hated it all. The situation, the events that occurred ,the whole shebang. And yet, there was no turning back, no changing the past. All she could do was look to the future. As she sighed in despair, Jim walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her close for a warm kiss. And the world felt right again for a moment.

Isaac dropped his head down and simply stared at the ground while Jim and Sarah went to a secluded spot and tenderly embraced one another, kissing and caressing one another. Clearly, the two did not get any time to themselves what with all the responsibilities and the prophecy. Isaac growled at no-one in particular and made his way to the nearby bar while the rest of the detachment waited for their commander to get his head out of the clouds. Pushing the door slightly open, he stepped into the musty bar and seated himself near the counter. As he wondered where the people were, out of shadows came a humanoid robot wearing an apron and a bowler hat. Isaac yelped and jumped back in fear.

"Welcome to Joeyray's Bar! How can I help you?" the automated voice spoke with a neutral tone. Isaac got over his initial shock and seated himself once again on the chair.

"Just a glass of whiskey, thanks."

"Certainly, sir." With that, the robot disappeared into the shadows once more leaving Isaac all alone again.

Five minutes later and Isaac was steadily drinking from his glass while the robot bartender tended to the place, cleaning the floor with his vacuum arms. Still the robot was no good substitute for actual company. Strange he'd want it now. Hadn't he spent the better part of the last few years just trying to be alone? Another thing that bothered the troubled soul was Sarah's exemplary stance to the people on Mar Sara. A kindred soul, he thought to himself as the glass swiveled in his hand, the brown liquid sloshing in the clear material. Isaac's thoughts clouded him so deeply that he did not notice a shadow leaning against the window frame.

"You gonna get me a glass?" came Raynor's gravelly voice.

"Piss off." Isaac countered with irritation.

"Is that any way to treat a friend?"

"HA! What a joke." Isaac fake-laughed at the irony.

"Bartender, a glass for me, please." Jim motioned to the robot.

"As you wish, sir." The robot's servos blinked and beeped and its robotic legs scampered back under the bar, returning a minute later with another shot glass filled to the brim with Jim's favorite liquid courage. Giving a curt nod of approval, James sat down right next to Isaac and put the glass to his mouth. A swig later, he started to speak in his usual gravelly and stony tone.

"Ah, that stuff hits the spot." James said as he smacked his lips.

"Whatever you say." replied Isaac, trying to respond in a neutral tone. James picked up on that within a single beat of his heart.

"What's the matter? Something got you down?"

"Why do you care?"

"Come on, don't be like that."

"Just drink your damn whiskey and leave me. I don't need you judging me."

"Not judging, kid. After all, I'm just drinking." James smirked as he poured another round into his awaiting mouth, his lips stained with the smell of the whiskey.

"Sure you ain't. Just like you and most of the crew haven't over the past couple of weeks." Isaac countered sarcastically.

"Aren't we friends?" That was the final straw for Isaac. Slamming his glass on the bar counter with unnatural force, he let the glass leave his grip and instead wrapped his hands around James' neck, his bruised hands brushing the grizzled veteran's graying beard. Hoisting him off his seat, Isaac slammed him against the wall and growled loudly, like a wolf. His hands remained wrapped around his thin neck, pinning the struggling man to the wall. The robot's servos started bleeping and it rushed out into the street, no doubt looking for help.

"Now you listen to me, you little piece of self-deluded crap! I have been nothing but helpful to you. To all of you. And what do I get in return? Mistrust? Cold stares? As far as I'm concerned, I could care less about what you think of me!" Isaac howled in pure rage. James was squirming under his iron grip.

"What did you expect, Isaac? You showing up on Char was already a big red flag. Your skills were another. It's no wonder we didn't exactly welcome you with open arms. What else? You hurt my girl. You did something to her."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Didn't you already settle this issue earlier?" Isaac screamed back. He could hear the bar door swing open and felt several pairs of eyes stare at them.

"You did something to her when she tried to look into you. You don't exactly vibrate trust. I could go on and on…"

"ENOUGH! I'm sick and tired of defending myself to you. You dared to look into my MIND? I think she freaking deserved it, considering the circumstances! Now, I don't care what you do next. Whatever you do however, stay out of my life. I can find my own memories without you condescending pricks butting in all the time! Is that clear, Commander?" James was about to open his mouth in protest when Isaac tightened his grip on the man, causing him to have trouble breathing.

"ARE WE CLEAR?" Isaac punctuated with every syllable, putting his hatred into it. James slowly nodded before feeling Isaac's hands release allowing the man to slump on the ground, clutching his bruised neck. Isaac towered over him and snorted before turning to face the figure in the doorway accompanied by the frightened robot. A second glance and Sarah Kerrigan came into view, a look of fear and terror plastered permanently on her face barely covered by her autumn hair. Isaac turned his gaze away from her and walked out the door, shoving Sarah roughly and walked away with hands in his pocket. Sarah could swear she heard him growl in anger as he passed her by. What was that all about? Setting it aside, she glanced over to James and hurried over to help him up.

"What was that all about?" asked Sarah with increasing worry.

"Our friend there decided to go ape-shit on me. Who the hell does he think he is?" snarled Raynor.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I…"

"WHAT did you do?" Sarah insisted.

"What? Why are you asking?"

"Well, clearly Isaac's upset about something and the robot here heard everything before you two went at each other." Sarah replied, folding her arms together.

"I'm telling you. Isaac's hiding something. I know it."

"And I'm telling you to drop it. What did I say that night? You're only giving him excuses to turn against. You're lucky that it only ended in an altercation rather than the morgue."

"Are you seriously taking his side over mine?" James asked, exasperated and confused.

"No, I'm not." She answered in a commanding tone. "What I'm saying is that Isaac is not himself now. Maybe he's a criminal or a spy. Or maybe he's an innocent family man. Whatever the case, we don't know. Until then, we keep our suspicions to ourselves."

"I'm telling you. This guy rubs me the wrong way. Mark my words." James continued, trying to get his point through.

"Duly noted. Now let's get you off the floor, shall we?" With that, Sarah placed an arm around Raynor, holding him up with her own body weight and shambled out the door with him in tow leaving a disgruntled robot to stare at the mess and groan about the work he'd have to do.

Two days later, Isaac yelped in surprise as a organic-like creature vomited a green projectile right at his cover point. He leaped out from his cover as the projectile exploded at his previous location, showering the ground with green goo. Several of the soldiers who were not as lucky as Isaac were covered in the goo. Their screams and howls of anguish pierced the air as Isaac turned to look at them. The armor was melting away, showing pale skin also being devoured by the acidic slime. As he watched, he saw a marine reach out with his right hand in a desperate plea for help. All Isaac could do was watch the life slowly fade away from his rotting eyes and watch as another soul's body slumped forward and lay on the ground, unmoving and still. The sounds and cries of battle dimmed around, replaced only by a haunting silence. Isaac was no stranger to death. Yet still, death echoed in his mind as he ripped the mostly intact dog tags from the poor soul's corpse. He clutched it in his hand and breathed deeply, looking to the other marines still fighting as though he was praying. A scream brought the rest of the echoes running back.

"What are you doing? Stop sitting around and help damn it!" shouted James as he unloaded a fresh clip into a wave of Zerglings that were rapidly encroaching on their position. Isaac briefly nodded and decided to do something brash. He vaulted over the stone waist-high cover and whipped out his APM in one smooth move. Taking aim, he spotted a hideous creature with pulsating green blobs on its back. He fired off a round and the creature exploded in a shower of acid, taking along several Zerglings and Roaches with it to whatever fiery pit of hell they went to. He fired cleanly into the crowd and James along with his group of Raiders watched as five targets dropped down in rapid succession. Isaac took out a speed reloader and chambered six yellow rounds into the awaiting cylinder. It clicked back into place just as Isaac noticed a gaggle of fresh spawn charge towards him, eager for fresh blood. He pulled out a medium-length blade from his other hip and readied himself.

Bullets flew through the air. The clattering of shells hitting the soft ground was near constant. The screams of orders and death throes was almost symphonic in nature as it started to grate on the platoon's ears. It was an average Zerg assault. Nothing special. Well, nothing except the suicidal retard who stood in front of them facing the approaching horde. James kept firing round after round into the endless horde as he barked out orders to his men. Sarah too was contributing to the effort, firing her sniper rifle with deadly efficiency and shooting off her grenades into packs of the ugly bastards. All the while, Isaac was lost in a deep trance unaware of what was occurring around him.

At last, his eyes flung open and he swung into action. James and Sarah stopped firing and could only gawp at the sight before. There was Isaac in the midst of the fray. They watched as Isaac let loose with his revolver, dishing out several high explosive rounds into the horde. Zerglings tore apart by the sheer force of the explosive tip while the Roaches were left with gaping holes where their mouths used to be. When his gun clicked empty, they watched as Isaac tore into his enemies with his knife. One, two, three, four. His body count only rose as he plunged his steel into another Zergling, slicing it open with one quick slash. A Roach took the opportunity to burrow out from the ground and surprise Isaac. No such luck when he rolled out from the creature's sharp talons and gripped his knife even tighter. Adrenaline kicked in and Isaac leaped over the hideous creature as it swung at thin air, trying frantically to strike the nimble human. That thought remained its last as Isaac brought down the knife on the creature's head, splitting it open and letting dark purple blood ooze all over his hand. He didn't stop there, though. To a combined gasp from several soldiers, he ripped a sharp talon from the creature's claw and slashed at an oncoming Zergling with such brutal force that it split into two halves.

There was still a mass of alien killing machines still on the warpath, barreling down on them. James snapped a fresh clip into his rifle and shouldered it, pulling the already sweat-covered trigger another time. The familiar thud of the recoil hit his shoulder as it bore the brunt of the force. Next to him, his lover Sarah Kerrigan continued to snipe key targets, including the dreaded Hydralisks that loomed ominously over the horizon of the hill. Isaac reloaded his revolver with several of his crystalline rounds and took pot-shots into the swarming mass of the organic meat grinder. After all, Stetmann did say that living breathing Zerg specimens was a dream birthday present. A good way to earn some brownie points, thought Isaac as he beamed with joy at the sight of the familiar blue crystal encasing an airborne Overlord, bringing it crashing to the ground. As more Zerglings and Roaches joined the party, he switched to his neuron-toaster rounds, essentially mind melters which overtaxed the brain causing the subject in this case a hapless Hydralisk lose his connection with the greater subconscious. The results were downright gruesome. As soon as it lost the connection, the beast turned its claws and fangs upon its own kind, slicing into Zerglings and Roaches alike with reckless abandon. Pretty soon, the beast was overwhelmed and Isaac repeated this five more times, thinning the ranks considerably.

This process repeated itself over the next two days. James and Sarah could scarcely believe it. Even the troops under their command have not seen such brazen actions ever in their lives. Isaac took the one rule when fighting Zerg which is 'Keep your distance and gun them down' and tossed it out the window. Isaac always smiled after the conflict, covered in so much Zerg blood it was a miracle he hadn't been infected. At least that's what he believed from hearing the stories. Isaac would wipe down his knife and holster his revolver and walk away from the surprised troopers leaving the battlefield and pile of corpses behind in his wake. A man possessed was the most accurate description when they repeated the same story to curious friends. Soon the word spread about Isaac' bravery, stupidity and recklessness in the face of combat. James still didn't trust the man. No way was the amnesiac capable of something of this caliber. He was acting, lying even. But he was alone of this opinion, ironically becoming the outcast now. The only person who still put stock in his words was Sarah and that was more out of her experiences in Isaac's mind. The two days were spent trying to converse with the mysterious figure in Isaac's subconscious. Isaac's actions only served to heighten her desire to uncover the truth.

Barely six days in and the infestation was completely eradicated, thanks in no small part to Isaac, Jim and Sarah. As the duo went back to their dropship pecking at each other cheeks, Isaac trailed behind them taking one last glance at the town. He had finally done some good at long last. Something to ponder the next time he tried. Just as he was about to walk towards the dropships, he felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly. Spinning around, he saw two men dressed in civilian overalls. One of them was a burly bald man who's hand was squeezing Isaac's shoulder as if he was adamant he stay. The other was a young female with billowy black hair with a white and gold pin tying her hair back. She wielded a weapon all too familiar to Isaac. They found him.

"Hey there, Isaac." Said the bald man.

"Do I know you?" said Isaac, playing to his cover story. He wasn't about to blow it especially when it meant a lot of innocent people in the crossfire.

"Don't you remember us?" We used to work together." He replied. Good, thought Isaac. Looks like they were also adhering to the rules. More out of their orders but still it was progress.

"I'm sorry. I'm an amnesiac."

"Well if your present company doesn't mind, perhaps we can help jog it for you." He continued to smile and pointed at Sarah and Jim who by now were looking for Isaac.

"I think that's a good idea."

"Well then, I shall go and speak to them. Wait here, please." He grinned. The man went up to Sarah and Jim and started talking to them. Pointing to Isaac and his companion, he continued talking before ending the conversation with a handshake from Jim. Nodding to his companion, the female directed Isaac to a nearby alley and prodded his stomach with her weapon hidden underneath her cloak. Isaac glanced back one last time at the couple before walking alongside the young woman to the designated spot. The man soon joined them afterwards and nodded in response to his friend's worried look.

Sarah was holding hands with Jim as they walked towards the dropship. She had finally done some good to redeem herself. Granted, she still received some weird looks from the townspeople from time to time but it felt diluted, more controlled than before. She was happy for the moment. It did nothing to quench her guilt over her actions but it was a step in the right direction. She leaned in for a kiss with Jim who readily replied to her gesture with a deep, passionate kiss to reaffirm his feelings for the former ghost. Just as they were about to explore it further, a loud cough startled them.

"Ahem… Excuse me, are you the people who saved Isaac?" The speaker was a bald man with a short stubby brown beard. He was dressed in plain clothes and spoke in a calm, peaceful tone.

"Yes, we are. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know Isaac doesn't remember much right? We're his friends from the academy."

"Wait, Isaac's a soldier?" James asked, clearly startled by this revelation. He didn't peg him as a soldier, especially someone who exuded vibes of distrust so readily.

"Yes, I can see why people would not believe such a thing." Replied the man, noticing James' expression. "I would like to ask if we could talk to him for a bit. Perhaps we could help set him on the road to recovery."

"Well, I have to discuss this with Sarah here. Give us a moment."

"Of course. Take your time." The bald man stepped back and folded his arms, watching as James pulled Sarah away to a more secluded spot under a nearby tree.

"Do you believe that guy?" asked Sarah as soon as they were certain that the man could not hear them.

"More than I did Isaac. Besides, if this pans out maybe we can finally get him off our behind."

"It would be nice to not have to listen to you rant." Sarah shrugged.

"I thought you found it cute." James replied playfully, raising his eyebrow at her response.

"Only the parts I see when we're alone, Jim." She sexily spoke to him. Jim was pumping full of hormones at that point. He couldn't stand the sexual tension she just released into the air.

"Shall we take care of this so we can have some fun later on?"

"Sure. I'd like that." She ended. If there was one thing that could make her swoon, it was Jim. He always knew what to say.

"You go on ahead. I forgot something at the bar. I'll join you later." She added. She traced a path on his chest with her lithe finger and walked away, making sure she swayed her hips where Jim could see them. Showing off her 'assets' so they say.

"I'm a lucky man." He said to himself. With that, he watched his girlfriend walk away before he himself stepped towards the bald man.

Sarah had just left Joeyray's bar in high spirits. A promise of a good night was too much emotion to hold in. Even the robot gave her weird looks when she kept beaming at it while she gave a wry smile and collected her misplaced gear from earlier. Sarah didn't care. She was lost in her happy place and nothing seemed to break it. That is until she heard scuffling coming from the alley nearby. She stopped in her tracks and pulled out her service pistol and cloaked herself. Perhaps it was a mugging. With any luck, she could take the assailants without them noticing her. As she edged closer to the alley entrance, the sounds became more pronounced and distinct. Still cloaked, she spun around to face them only to stare in horror at the situation occurring just in front of them.

Isaac was trading fisticuffs with the bald man from earlier. As the bald man swung a low punch aimed at Isaac's lower half, he dodged deftly and countered with a swift kick to the private. The bald man whimpered in pain and clutched his family jewels, hugging the wall for support. The woman stepped up to the plate and tried to kick Isaac down only to gasp in bone-crunching pain as Isaac grabbed her leg and brought down his fist onto her femur. It cracked and left the woman lying on the ground, down but not out. The situation continued on, the bald man grabbing at Isaac and bringing him crashing down to earth. In response, Isaac kicked the bald man squarely in the jaw and pushed him away.

What happened next chilled the former ghost. The woman, spitting strands of dark black hair from her mouth pulled out a weird weapon and aimed it dead centre at Isaac's temple. At this, Isaac conceded defeat and raised his hands. Sarah watched in horror as the bald man began to get up and curse quietly at their prisoner. All the while, Sarah contemplated the best possible solution to tackling this problem. Once again, she was forced to take the role of an observer when Isaac made his own move, shoving the gun aside as she pulled the trigger, making the woman yelp in surprise and the bald man to whip his own gun. Isaac's reaction was way faster however and a split second later a huge gaping hole was all that remained of the man. The woman fell back in shock and Isaac raised his weapon, his face plastered with malice and intent. At last, Sarah could hear the woman speak.

"Please. Spare me. Don't kill me." She heard the woman plead with all her might. She was reduced to nothing but a shivering, scared and terrified shell of her former self. Almost like Sarah when she was released from the Queen of Blades' control.

Sarah Kerrigan believed in second chances. Believed that people deserved that chance. Isaac destroyed her belief in him as he robotically raised the revolver and pulled the trigger. The gun went bang and the corpse of the lady slumped against the wall, now drenched in her blood. Isaac wiped a speck of it from his face and looked around for any witnesses. Satisfied, he made his way down the opposite direction. Little did he know that someone had seen him. Caught him in the act.

And little did he know that Sarah Kerrigan had finally seen past his façade. There was no hiding it from her now…

**Please review this story. I would like to get feedback on it and some suggestions as to how this story pans. You too, izwan. Thank you nd please tune in for the next chapter.**


	5. The Walls That Trap Us

**Chapter 4: The Walls That Traps Us**

**A/N : I would like to say in advance as I'm going to start writing this immediately after finishing the last chapter thanks to anyone who's read my story as well as any potential reviews I might get. Considering my luck, I'm not holding out too much hope. Anyway, the story may continue on for 2 or 3 more chapters as I've yet to think about how to end it. It's a short story, this one because again it represents the first act in a much bigger story. As I've said in the new summary, the next act will be Halo. More on that later. For now, let us commence with the show.**

Sarah Kerrigan for the first time since her discovery of her crimes mere hours after being turned back into a human was not only lost for words but stood there, not moving and not even twitching a single muscle in her body. The alleyway was still and quiet, only the rustling of the cool breeze echoing in the empty place. Still reeling from the incident, she walked towards the bodies slumped in a heap of garbage and glanced at them for several moments. Their faces were forever etched with pain and terror and the blood flowing from their wounds were still relatively fresh. As Sarah bent down to close the man's eyes, she brushed her palm across his skin. It was already cold and hard, the rigor having started to set in. The female corpse took Sarah a longer time to stomach. She was staring deeply into space, not a care in the world. A bullet remained lodged in her forehead, put there by a man Sarah once believed to be a good man.

'_Not such a good man anymore, now is he?_' Her mind pondered. Raynor was right. Isaac was trouble and had been from the very start. Perhaps the man was self-defense but the woman? The woman was pure unadulterated cold-blooded murder. A straight up execution, plain and simple. If that wasn't enough, the look in Isaac's eyes as she begged for mercy instantly revolted the ghost. Considering her own bloody past, it was a tall order to achieve. '_They deserved it, my targets. Every single one of them. Not her. Not the woman lying in a gutter right now._' Her thoughts trailed off and went to the other end of the alleyway. '_I can't believe I didn't trust Jim. So bloody stupid of me not to listen to him. Of course he was right! He's been right about everything so far. Why stop now_?' Sarah's hands started to shake and tremble as she closed the woman's eyes, promising to avenge her brutal slaughter.

Oh, yes. She would make Isaac rue the day he thought he could outwit Sarah Kerrigan….

Isaac ran off in the opposite direction as soon as the smoke from his gun cleared the air. He didn't look back nor did he regret it. It had to be done. Panting after sprinting into an adjacent alleyway, he placed a hand on the brick wall and propped himself up, clutching his fervously beating heart with the other hand. Sweat stained his overalls and gloves as it poured from his head like a gushing waterfall. The memory of the incident remained fixed into his head. The ambush by Holden's agents. Their unsuccessful attempt in blackmailing him, threatening him with the lives of the people on the Hyperion. The last thing that affixed itself was the woman begging for mercy. It had been a ruse. Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out a fragment of her right arm reaching for the pistol still holstered in her hip. Isaac drew first before her hand even brushed the stock of her pistol. To anyone else, it would have looked like an execution to all but the most trained eyes. To Isaac, it was a necessary evil. Him or her. He never liked playing such odds, always fashioning himself as the sacrificial hero. But times have changed. Ever since the torturer's attempt in breaking his steely resolve back on Quentin's Isle, he changed his suicidal policy to one of determination. No way was he letting them hurt his family. No way in hell. Yet even the mere act of killing again made Isaac double over and puke another stream of vomit into a trashcan. Wiping excess vomit from his lips, the battered man stumbled down the alleyway.

As he shambled out of the dark alleyway and into the bustling street, he was greeted by a gaggle of people biding him good tidings and wishing him well. Isaac faked a smile and waved to the crowd. Isaac felt conflicted over this. '_Here they are, thinking you're the hero. If only they knew…._' Sighing and resigning himself to the arms of fate, he walked up the ramp into the dropship and watched from his passenger window as the ground below them disappeared into the clouds and left his sight. A tear rolled down his eye as he watched another planet, saved from one threat and oblivious to another.

The ride home was tense and unsettling even for James Raynor. Sarah had returned from the bar, looking blank-faced and shell shocked. Before he could ask what had happened, Sarah shook herself from her trance and dashed into his arms, embracing him and planting a multitude of kisses on his face. He took what he could get and lead her into their awaiting transport, choosing to remain ignorant for the time being. Now, he could no longer sit by and watch. Sarah reverted back to her previous state as soon as the dropship exited the planet's atmosphere. '_What the hell is up with her? Did something happen back there? Was Isaac involved?' _The thought of Isaac having something to do with this brought his repressed rage running right back to the forefront. Unfortunately for him, Sarah had noticed it.

"Is something the matter, Jim?" Sarah asked with concern.

"I should be asking you the same thing." James snapped back. As soon as those words left his lips, he regretted saying them.

"What are you talking about?" defended Sarah, clearly offended by this line of questioning.

"Come on, you can't hide anything from me. I know you all too well that something's got you all jittered up. Come on, spill it."

"I…."

"If you don't want to talk about it, just say so."

"It's not that." moaned Sarah in exasperation. James was reading her all wrong. "I just…."

"Just tell me. I promise to listen. Did you do something? Did it…." trailed James, his thoughts going back to those haunting moments of the past four years. The look on his face clued Sarah in on his current state of mind.

"No. No, it's not that. It's… Isaac…"

"Isaac? Did he do something to you? Did he hurt you? I swear, if he did…." James boiled with rage and rose from his seat, staring Sarah down with a frightening glare.

"No, he didn't. Just stop for a second and listen, you big oaf!" cried Sarah. James backed up and raised his hands in surrender before sitting back down in his seat. Just outside, he could hear several marines murmuring to one another. No doubt they heard the commotion. A hard rap on the door was enough to silence the gossipers, at least for the moment.

"Alright, you have the floor." said James softly.

"Thank you. As I was saying, it's about Isaac."

"What about him?"

"You were right. You were right about him from the beginning." She sobbed uncontrollably in her lap. James put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and listened to her cry her heart out.

"What do you mean?" he finally asked.

"He… He killed them. You.. remember… those people who stopped him? He… He.. just executed them…. Left them to die in an alley. He didn't… didn't even care… He… He…" She uttered between her sobs.

"I can't believe it." James replied with surprise.

"Neither could I." Sarah haltingly replied, wiping her dried tears from her face with her hand.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. I promise."

"Thank you." The two lovers held each other in their arms for the whole flight through, preferring to let action speak for them. The marines outside knew better than to interfere with their weird relationship. Not unless they wanted to get disemboweled. As the Hyperion loomed into view, James shuddered at the thought of returning to his ship. Time to get some answers…..

Isaac laid down on his bunk bed as soon as he reentered the gray corridors of the Hyperion. He didn't even bother to change out of his damp, sweat-stained clothes. All Isaac did was rest his head on the pillow and doze off into his dreams. The scene changed. A dark emptiness surrounded Isaac as he staggered to his feet. Black swirling mist obscured his vision and he swatted at it with his arms, trying to escape the black prison.

"Hello?" he nervously proclaimed. "Is anyone there? Anybody?" The silence frightened the man and he began to quake and tremble where he stood. As he slowly began to scan his environments, he spotted two figures amidst the black fog right in front of him.

"Hello?" Isaac asked again. Still no reply. He slowly made his way towards the figures that still stood ramrod stiff, not even acknowledging his presence. As Isaac finally stood in front of them, he gasped in shock and horror at the scene before him. Standing above one of the figures was himself in all his cringing pained horror. He watched as his dream-like self spun around to face him and that was when he noticed something off. His eyes were a deep blue like the sky and he was putting on a big grin for him to see. It was unnerving to be face-to-face with a mirage of himself but considering the stuff he's been through so far, this ranked pretty low on the scale. It was the next scene which overloaded it….

Still reeling from the shock, he saw the figure below his mirror self come into full view. It was a familiar redhead, still clothed in her suit and sprawled across the floor. Her eyes were focused on his mirror self and she started to beg.

"No, please. Don't do this. I'm sorry." The dream repeated itself several times but Isaac's mirage remained unmoving and in an ironic twist, felt cold and detached from any emotion whatsoever. The figure raised his right arm and pointed his all too distinct signature firearm and leveled it at dream Sarah's temple. Isaac howled in disgust and shock and tried to stop himself from pulling the trigger. Once again, fate relegated Isaac to an observer role and tiny tendrils of dark fog wrapped its cold, clammy tentacles around his legs, his torso, his arm and for good measure, silenced his mouth with a wispy hand. Isaac struggled against this unnatural force, his eyes only widening in horror as he saw his mirror self slowly eased his finger over the trigger. '_Please let me go. Don't let me see this_.' The broken man begged in his mind, a splitting image for a second of the woman begging for her life that very moment. Another moment passed and the sound of a gunshot vibrated into Isaac's eardrums. He need only look up and see Sarah clutching her torso to realize she had been hit.

Isaac vehemently refused to just stand there and watch. He tried to scream but his mouth refused to utter a single peep, so expertly covered by the unknown entity. He struggled once again in an attempt to free himself to no avail. The entity holding him hostage was just too strong. Isaac let his tears run rampant as he watched the scene continue to unfold before his tear-stained eyes.

"I'm sorry, Isaac. Please don't do this." Even when provided with irrefutable proof to the contrary, the dream version of Sarah still kept begging. Why? It's not like as if her assailant was James. As soon as those thoughts left his mind, he saw the figure standing above her morph into the commander himself, his grizzled whitening beard and similar blue eyes peering back into Isaac's already confused brain. What kind of dream was this? The pleas continued to pierce the silence in that dream state, making Isaac all the more helpless at the situation. Once again, the dream Raynor raised his gun and pulled the trigger. This time, he didn't miss. Sarah slumped backwards with eyes of pure fear and a bullet lodged in her forehead. And Isaac let out a deafening scream and yelled with all his might.

Isaac awoke from his deep sleep in fear as he bolted upright from his nightmare. Sweat for the second time that day pounded his face and clothes. The memory of that vivid nightmare remained imprinted into his memory. He tossed aside the blanket which drooped to the floor and sat on the side of the bed. Isaac clutched his head with both hands and shook his head several times in the vain hope of shaking the images out of his head. As he sat there in a daze, collecting his thoughts, his mind flooded with questions. '_What was that? Was it trying to tell me something? Was it…. Him?_' That last question shuddered Isaac right down to the very bone. He didn't like the idea of his presence in his subconscious. Then again, he was no stranger to voices in his head. Just then, the door to his bedroom swung open and Isaac glanced up to see to his utter surprise two figures that he knew all too well from his most recent nightmare.

"Hello, Isaac." the voice sneered and mocked. That was the last thing he heard before James Raynor's fist slammed into his skull and sent him into darkness. The last thing he heard was Raynor ordering his men to carry him out, presumably nowhere nice.

Isaac's eyes started to flutter open and his vision began to gain focus, the blurry outlines becoming more crisp and visible. Straining to see in his state, he could make out James and Sarah standing in front of him, breathing heavily down his neck. Reacting instinctively, he tried to move his arms. All of a sudden, Isaac felt the telltale signs of restraints digging into his flesh painfully as he felt James tighten the knot on them. A quick peek at his legs concluded his search. '_Yep. Here we go again_.' The thought flittered momentarily through him before being replaced with another. '_Wait. What do they know? Did his agents say anything to them?_' A quick 'ahem' from James snapped him right back to reality. Still throbbing in pain from James' sucker punch, Isaac turned his eyes towards James and Sarah's, meeting theirs for a brief moment.

"You still with us?" joked James.

"Arggh. Damn, man. You sure know how to throw a mean left hook." Isaac grimaced as his pain started to become constant. The pain in his facial muscles and his leg was almost unbearable. Would have been if Isaac didn't know how to control himself properly.

"I see you're quite comfortable with your new arrangements." Isaac looked around the room for a brief moment. It looked quite empty save for a couple of chairs, one of which he was bound to. Sarah was standing right next to a white-matte door, her arms folded across her torso and a look of pure hatred staring right back at him. The rest of the room was wholly uninspiring. Just four grey walls and some very dim lights. This is what a newbie interior designer would call a masterpiece. Turning to James, he started coughing out a bit of blood and speaking at the same time.

"Yeah, I like what you've done with the place. No-one would believe you didn't have your prison work force. Well done, Raynor." Isaac smirked, egging the commander on and refusing to budge an inch. Isaac received another of James' patented left hooks, making him cry out in pain.

"Thank you for the compliment. Can I get you something?"

"Yeah. A great big pile of tissue paper. I feel like spitting."

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" James' voice lowered into a quiet, authoritative tone.

"Chase? As you can see, I'm tied to a chair. Not even a nice one. So, I'll have to decline your invitation." Isaac laughed at the sight of James' face as he yet again defied the commander.

"I'm losing my patience, Isaac. Now answer my questions."

"Suit yourself. Oh and by the way, when did you have any to begin with?"

"Cut the act, Isaac. Tell me what happened to your 'friends' back on Mar Sara." James yelled into Isaac's ears, hoping to intimidate him.

"I have no idea what you're….."

"I saw you." The room went deathly quiet.

"What?" Isaac asked, his voice starting to feel with dread.

"I saw you kill them in cold blood." stated plainly Sarah Kerrigan.

"Are you tripping or something? You probably saw…"

"I know what I saw. I'm not blind, Isaac." '_Shit. They know._' thought Isaac to himself. '_How did she…_' Isaac paused and looked at sarah's attire. '_Of course. Bloody cloaking system. I should have known. What a screw-up I am_." cursed Isaac silently. Now he had to formulate a plan and quick if he wanted to save his bacon. Finally settling on a plan of action, Isaac raised his head and turned to face Sarah.

"What did you think I did?"

"Kill two people. That's what."

"Did you see that they pulled their weapons on me?" Isaac retorted violently. '_Come on now. Answer me._'

"I did." Sarah replied nonchalantly even as images of the incident flooded the normally jaded ghost.

"So, why am I here?"

"We want to know who they are and how they know you."

"They were muggers. Probably got my name from some passer-by."

"You really expect me to believe that?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"It's what happened." Isaac repeated exasperatedly. '_Now to turn it up a notch._' "I'm telling you, those guys thought I was an easy target. Not so smart, if you ask me." Isaac was nearly home-free. Just a few more…

"What about the woman?" Sarah shakily asked. Isaac's mood dropped to new depths. '_Crap. She saw everything. How to work your way out of this one, Isaac?_'

"Answer me! Why did you execute her?" Sarah shook her fist at Isaac as she recanted her words another time. She struggled to control herself from trying to choke the living breath out of the man before her. How could she have been so blind?

"What are you talking about?" Isaac finally answered, albeit slightly shaken up from the revelation.

"What reason did you have to kill that woman? She was begging for her life, Isaac. BEGGING! FOR HER LIFE, DAMNIT!" she trembled as she bellowed with all her pent-up rage. James had by now stepped back to allow Sarah her 15 minutes of fame. Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned….

Isaac coolly kept a level head. '_So she doesn't know. That's good and bad. Think, Isaac. How to get out of this sticky situation?_' Isaac's mind raced through the possibilities, droning out her rant and her attempts to scare him into a confession.

"She was just a young woman, Isaac. And you killed her. She was practically begging for mercy and you just shot her in cold blood. Why? Answer me, Isaac. What was the point?" Sarah kept on shouting and screaming at Isaac. James remained silent and watched his girlfriend go to town on him. The bastard deserved it, thought James to himself.

"Are you even listening to me? Talk to me, Isaac! WHY IN HELL DID YOU KILL A DEFENSELESS WOMAN?!" Sarah was at her wit's end by then and Isaac's next few words sent her tumbling right over.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I can't remember." He meekly replied, still putting on a show for his audience. Once again, Isaac found himself trapped in a situation where people acted on impulse without checking their facts. Besides telling them the truth would only lead to disastrous consequences, for him and them. Ones he knew he would never live with. As Isaac braced for an explosion of words from everyone's favorite ghost, she heard her whisper something else entirely different.

"Fine." She whispered softly.

"What?" Isaac answered harshly.

"If you won't talk, perhaps your mind will be a better source of information."

"Don't you dare!" Isaac screamed, tossing and turning in his chair upending and sending him crashing down on the cold metal surface. He tried in vain to get loose from his bindings. It didn't work. Sarah simply watched with some sort of sadistic pleasure. She would enjoy making this piece of garbage for what he's done.

"Stop struggling. I promise you this will hurt terribly." She cooed softly into Isaac's ear. James made no move to stop her, still euphoric about her finally seeing the light. At last, no more games. Time to find out who Isaac Eisenhower really was.

Sarah opened her eyes and glared at her immediate surroundings. Like before, Isaac's mind was nothing but four eternally expanding walls where the lone figure in the room sat down underneath a dim, flickering lightbulb attached to God knows where. Sarah stomped and strode towards the lone figure, grabbing him by the lapels and hoisting him up in the air.

"No more games. Show me everything!" she bellowed at the figure's face, spit splattering across his cheeks. Sarah was a one-woman rampage. Lucky then that the figure knew how to deal with such threats. Without warning, Sarah felt the figure's arms slap her own arms away and head butted her. She staggered back, dazed and clutching her forehead as it throbbed in pain. The figure gave a twisted, sadistic grin and laughed out loud. The sounds were supersonic, making Sarah grasp her ears and attempt to block out the debilitating noise. '_No. I will not be defeated so easily!_' She clenched her fist and acted, waiting for her moment to strike. As the figure drew nearer, she made her move lunging at the figure with a well-placed uppercut. She felt its jaw break in half and he fell backwards onto the ground, snarling angrily as he rose up. Awaiting his next move, Sarah watched as it pointed one of its grubby fingers at her, proclaiming harshly,

"**Remove this pestilence from my sight, my minions." **It crooned eerily. As Sarah spun in a tight circle, she saw shadowy hounds start to materialize out of thin air and bark at the intruder. Not only that, she spotted several human shadows lurking in their midst, carrying large machetes and staring back at Sarah with glowing red eyes. Sarah remained calm under pressure and closed her eyes. Moments later, a dream version of her trusty rifle was wrapped around her hands. '_Come and get me, you monster._' She cocked the mechanism back, letting a single shell casing clatter to the ground. She meant business…

James chuckled as he left the interrogation room by himself. Knowing Sarah, it would not be long before Isaac would be spilling out all his secrets just to keep her away from him. He decided to let his love handle this by herself. She needed this. '_It's been too long since Sarah has fought selflessly to right her wrongs. Maybe this will help her._' His thoughts afterwards were somewhat similar and not all that different. Even the crew noticed his unusually happy demeanor and started whispering to one another. Some said that things were finally looking up for their side. Others just playfully teased that Jimmy boy was getting some action pretty soon with the Queen of Blades. Not of it hit the mark. Not even close.

Still, life had to move on. James sat back in his chair and signaled to Matt to take off. Their ship vanished from the Mar Sara airspace and entered the warp tunnel, a natural occurrence when doing FTL jumps. Both men spent the better part of 20 minutes, discussing their next moves, planning their next strike against Mengsk or investigating the Dark Voice that had been mentioned by Zeratul. All in all, everything was back to normal…..

Sarah backflipped in the air in order to dodge several dogs attempting to take a bite out of her, all the while making short work of several human shadows with her sniper rifle. Each shot hit their target with deadly accuracy and this was further angering the figure. Watching the event unfold before his eyes, he cursed to himself and decided to enter the proceedings himself. Sarah took cover when armed human shadows started to appear and letting loose with their assortment of weapons. Now Sarah alternated between taking potshots at the hyper-alert enemies firing from cover and thinning the figure's pet hounds into a small kennel with a sharp boot to their torsos or a knife deep in their skull. Yet, she still awaited the arrival of her real target. '_Must be a real coward if he lets his minions do the dirty work._'

As if right on cue, Sarah noticed a solid figure race forth with tremendous speed towards her position. '_Good. He's finally come out to play._' She smirked grimly. As he dashed towards her, she stretched out her arm and it collided with the figure at his breakneck pace, sending him somersaulting in the air and finally landing with a thud on the ground. With that, his minion vanished into thin air, returning to their wispy, foggy state as their master squirmed underneath the intruder's heels.

"Now to see what you are really made of." Sarah spoke. Making long strides towards the figure dazed on the floor, she kept him there with a foot on his chest crushing his ribcage.

"Show me what I want to know. No more games or your heart won't be beating anymore." She applied more pressure to her foot, sending the message that she was willing to carry out her threats.

"**You do not know what you ask of, you wretch." **The figure all but taunted the intruder.

"I know pretty damn well what I'm asking for. Who are you and what really is Isaac Eisenhower?" she screamed and stomped on his chest, extracting a grunt of pain from the figure.

"**Many have asked the same question you bring before me today, child. All of them have not lived to see that which they seek." **He grinned sarcastically.

"I'm different."

"**Foolish child. What a deluded fool to believe herself not the same."** The figure sneered and jested.

"Don't test me! Now tell me what I want to know. NOW!" Sarah all but cried out, grabbing the figure by the scruff of his neck and hoisting him up to meet her eyes.

"**You are so desperate for answers you cannot possibly comprehend. But if you truly wish to see, then who am I to stop you?" **The figure laughed maniacally and used his free hand to grasp at Sarah's temple. All of a sudden, Sarah felt the ground beneath disappear as she and the figure fell down into the recesses of Isaac's mind. 'Not again.' She thought as she fell. The figure smirked and sneered, but also felt deeply sorry for Sarah. He regretted having to resort to this but she forced his hand. What happened next would be her own fault.

Sarah felt her feet touch solid ground once more. Yet, her surroundings were not even familiar to her. Just one glance confirmed her suspicions as the black tendrils of the figure still colored the room. The figure jerked his head to the left, making Sarah herself shuffle towards the dim light in the center of what appeared to be a medical room. As she shuffled closer, Sarah could make out two figures, one of which was the dreaded man himself. Sarah did not recognize the other person but judging by his outfit, he looked like a doctor or a medical officer. The doctor spoke up in a flaccid tone.

"Isaac. Isaac." He said while shaking his head in disappointment. "We've been at this for days. You're wearing me out. Just tell us what we want to know and I'll ask him to let you go. Simple as that." The doctor was clearly from Sarah's perspective exhausted and annoyed by Isaac's stubborn resistance.

"Same answer as the last five days. Go. To. Hell." Isaac articulated each and every syllable, hoping to drive some sort of common sense into the thick head's skull. His words were in vain as the doctor rubbed his forehead with a sigh and motioned to a third unseen person.

"Once again, you persist with this charade. And once again, I'm forced to bring out my tools. Just remember you brought this upon yourself."

"What's today's main course?" Isaac grimaced, expecting the worst. His fears were soon confirmed as the doctor kindly accepted a mining drill from his assistant who shuffled back to his original position in front of the door.

"It's really an honor for you, Isaac. Most of my 'patients' all but spill their innermost secrets at this point. You are the first one I've had in a long time. Thank you, kind sir." The doctor sardonically uttered. Every word seemed to disgust both memory-Isaac still trussed up in his chair and Sarah who started feeling sorry for Isaac. That thought she banished to a deep dark place. '_How can I feel sorry for someone so cold and heartless? This is his just desserts, plain and simple._' Sarah figured, justifying her moment of weakness just then. The memory of Isaac taunted the doctor.

"Do whatever you want. I won't say anything. NOT A GODFORSAKEN WORD! YOU HEAR ME?!" Isaac shouted in defiance at the 'good' doctor.

"Pity. I guess this means I'll have to play with you some more. Ah, well." Without a second's notice, he clicked on a small red button on the drill and it whirred to life, his sharp drillbit spinning and spinning mechanically. Isaac could do nothing but watch as he brought down the drill to his left leg and let the drill do its work on his nerve-riddled flesh. The first few seconds saw him wince and whimper in unrelenting pain as it dug through flesh and blood, inching further and further into him. When the drill finally hit his femur, that's when he let loose.

"ARRRRGHHHH! HOLLLLY SHIIIIT! YOU MOTHER…AHHHHHH!" The screams echoing across the room showed to Sarah Isaac's worst. She watched as the doctor mercilessly pushed the drill forward and grinning sheepishly when he heard his tool grind through Isaac's bones. The man continued to howl for all it's worth, his throat becoming sore and parched, only serving to heighten the pain he felt. Almost three minutes elapsed and the doctor sighed once again. His eyes gazed at his prisoner, who was slumped on the chair, his arms flailing on each side. He had passed out. Receiving a curt nod from an unforeseen person, he removed the tool from Isaac's leg and let blood trickle down his leg and formed a puddle of dried red beneath his chair. The scene vanished and Sarah was left staring at nothingness.

"What did you show me?" asked Sarah shakily. She was downright appalled at what had occurred. No human being wouldn't react to that. The figure turned her around and grasped both her shoulders with his white palms.

"**What you wished for, fool. Now I believe it's time for you to leave**." Spoke the figure in a hushed tone. Sarah raised her head and stared at the bullet wound still protruding from his forehead. His words angered the ghost.

"Wait, I…" Sarah began but the figure simply smiled menacingly and let his hands drop to his slide. All of a sudden, Sarah started to fall yet again and was consumed by the void of darkness. '_What the hell had I just witnessed?_' was the last thought before she let her eyes flutter open and she found herself back in the real world. As she scrambled to her feet, she saw Isaac's head lowered and his arms and legs did not move. A quick check on his pulse confirmed that Isaac had passed out from the invasion of his mind. Still attempting to make sense of what she saw, she left Isaac in the room all alone and stormed out without another word. Nothing had been answered, not even close. Instead, Sarah faced another question. What did Isaac get himself mixed up in?

Jim was relieved to hear from one of his crewmembers that Kerrigan had finally left the room although she looked stressed and agitated. The crewmember who delivered the message remembered all too vividly when the former ghost snapped at him when he accidentally snuck up on her. For a moment, he believed he was going to be torn to pieces by the psionic woman. Luckily, Sarah looked more disturbed and irritated and had left him lying on the floor making her way towards the cantina. Jim thanked the man with a pat on his back and signaled to Matt to take over. Matt nodded in response and took the helm, giving Raynor time to go seek out Sarah. With any luck, she'd have new information on their mysterious man…..

Sarah sat herself on a stool in the cantina and was now staring at the bottom of her empty glass. The alcohol did the opposite of its intended effect, bringing clarity to the memories she wanted to be blurred out. As she downed yet another round of brown opaque liquid courage, she heard Jim saunter over to the bar and seat himself on the stool next to him. Waving his hand to the elderly bartender, he procured a bottle of vodka, the strong stuff of course. Sarah heard him pop the cork on the bottle and take a massive swig from it, finally setting it down on the bar counter with a loud clank sound.

"Ah, that hit the spot." James said as he smacked his lips in pleasure.

"I'll bet." quipped Sarah sardonically.

"So how did our 'friend' hold up? Did you receive anything useful?" Sarah pondered the question for several moments. Well on the one hand, she did see something unsettlingly that may provide insight into Isaac's past. After all, it's the farthest she's ever gotten with the mysterious figure. On the downside though, she didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly or this would just spiral out of control faster than you can say 'No more Mrs. Nice Girl.' So Sarah ultimately came to a decision and downed another glass to make the next part easier.

"Nope. Nothing. That bastard's given up nothing. Not even any miscellaneous ones. Whoever trained him did a pretty decent job."

"Well, that dampens the mood. Still, we've got him under wraps so it's not like it's a complete lose-lose situation, right?" James said, preferring to see the silver lining in that case.

"I guess so." Sarah softly spoke in a somber tone.

"I mean we have all the time in the world to knock him down a peg. Don't worry. I'll make sure he pays for what he's done." James steadfastly replied, seeing Sarah droop her face in disappointment at the outcome of the interrogation.

"Thanks, Jim. Have I ever told you how handsome you look? Especially when we're both drunk?" Sarah slurred, the effects of the alcohol starting to take hold.

"Really? Well, perhaps we should see if that rule applies to everything else." James chuckled seductively. Well, Isaac can stew for another day.

"Lead the way, handsome." His girl drunkenly replied.

"As you wish." With that, he lifted her off her feet and carried her to their room. As he laid her on their bed, he slid the door shut and turned the knob to lock the door. Seeing his girl seductively taunt him with her voluptuous body, James let his emotions run wild and did not leave a second thought for the ship. The hallways outside their door were empty and deserted that night. No-one wanted to interrupt their commander during his R&R session. Considering their predicament, no-one blamed him.

'_Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into._' thought Isaac as he slipped in and out of unconsciousness. Apparently having your brain basically bared wide open by a psionic super soldier could make even the most hardened veteran wet their pants. And make you take forty winks forcibly in Isaac's case. Isaac could see that he was alone now. The two amigos had left him there to stew no doubt and probably thought they were going to get a fresh start first thing tomorrow. Isaac didn't plan on staying any longer. Now he had to get out and leave. Just then, a broadcast over the P.A system jolted Isaac from his inner thoughts and chilled the man right down to the very core.

"To the crew of the battleship Hyperion…." It started in a mocking tone as if the words itself were degrading.

"You are surrounded by my own forces. This time, there is no escape for any of you." Isaac tried to tear through his binds as the message continued. Unfortunately, the rope was way too tough for him, keeping him locked in that chair. Frantically, Isaac scanned the room for anything he could use.

"After all that you rebels have wrought upon me, I find myself at a crossroads. On the one hand, the Dominion will prove to be much easier to control with your little party out of the picture." The voice continued to taunt, his words just oozing with venom. Isaac paid no heed to this and to his dismay, his search turned up nothing. '_Damn it. Come on, Isaac. There's gotta be something around here_.' His mind frantically deduced.

"But I am bound by my deal with my new allies to offer you a reprieve. A second chance if you will." Isaac searched and searched but nothing. Not a single thing looked sharp enough to sever the rope. Wait, his teeth. Isaac took a deep breath and stared at the rope. Seeing no other option, he sunk his jaw into the rope and began tearing away at it like a rabid dog. Once, his teeth slipped from the rope covered in his sweat and caused him to chomp down on his own forearm, perforating him and drawing blood. Wincing in self-inflicted pain, he quickly picked up the pace and soon the rope no longer dug deep into his skin.

"My allies have been searching for a certain individual. This man is responsible for the mass slaughter of nearly 4 billion lives on his home planet and he is to be considered an armed and dangerous fugitive. We also happen to know your ship had acquired him from Char, that infernal planet." Isaac staggered to his feet and limped towards the door, sliding it open without a single sound. As he made his way through the corridor, the voice began to echo throughout the ship once more.

"Anyone who brings me the man known as Isaac Eisenhower alive will be spared a most gruesome death and be allowed to live. Anyone who attempts to resist us or help the fugitive escape shall be punished accordingly. You have two hours." Isaac quickened his pace as soon as his name left the speakers. As he reached his room and slammed the door shut, he could hear a gaggle of men and women combing the hallways, desperately searching for their meal ticket to salvation. Wasting no time, he yanked a small concealed box from above his cabinet and pulled out his trusty APM from its leather hold. As he readied his weapon and prepared himself for what was to come next, only one thought remained, resounding in his head.

'_Time to leave this behind. Time to let go again._'

**Well that was fun. Sorry about this chapter being less quality controlled. If the last few chapters were about 90%, I'd say this one felt like more 70 or 80. Regardless, I intend to solve this issue with the next chapter. Please review and like this story as much as possible. Shout out to fellow Malaysian izwan. Go check out his Starcraft story. I believe it's about Valerian Mengsk or something. Thank you and have fun writing and **reading**…..**


	6. There Is Only Flight

**Chapter 5 : There Is Only Flight**

**A/N : Well, I promised that Chapter 5 would be a better chapter from my usual run. I'll do my best to deliver on that. On a side note, the second act may be delayed to next year as I've yet to continue work on my own novel which I'm currently writing. Sorry for the delay. Once again, shout out to izwan for the reviews so far. Thanks, pal. Go check out his own fanfic 'Behind The Painted Walls'. I can't promise you'll like it but check it out anyway. With that out of the way, let us return to the madness….**

Beep! Beep! Beep!

'_Uhhhh…._' echoed James' thoughts as the sirens on the Hyperion continued to blare in his ears.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

'_What the….._' came his inner voice. His eyelids started to flutter and blink rapidly, trying to ignore the sounds ringing in his ears. He tossed around, yanking the blanket and making an attempt to shield his eardrums from the cacophonous interruption to his slumber.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

'_Great… Must be something terribly important for it to cut into my beauty sleep._' James Raynor groaned as he threw his eyelids wide open, his irises staring blankly at the metal ceiling. To his left, his girlfriend Sarah Kerrigan was also awake, though she was by this time already suiting up into her all-too familiar ghost suit. As the silicon latex enveloped her body, the yellow lights started to flicker on and soon it illuminated albeit dimly the dark captain's quarters.

"Hey, you're awake." said Sarah, stating the obvious.

"Yeah. What's going on? Do you know?" James feebly mumbled as he fumbled about in the dark, searching for a fresh change of clothes.

"No idea. Must be something pretty dire to warrant this." Sarah commented. As if to prove her point, the sirens blared a fourth time over the systems, breaking what little self-restraint James had for this untimely interruption.

"Yeah! Yeah! We get it. Stop whining." He furiously ranted, shaking a grubby fist at the alarm system affixed to the wall above the door.

"Come on, sleepyhead. I'll meet you on the deck." She humorously to a frustrated James. Sauntering towards the door, she gave a curt nod and a wink to James from the edge of the door before slipping out silently without properly closing the door. A single ray of artificial light seeped in, radiating warmth and clear vision into James' eyes. As he hurriedly pulled on his captain's outfit and brushed his disheveled hair into something more presentable, he made for the door and stepped outside. '_Time to find out what's going on here._' His thoughts echoed as he strode down the hallway to bridge control.

Meanwhile merely several feet away, Isaac Eisenhower was lying in wait in his own quarters as he watched another pair of footsteps shamble past his position. The sounds of the leather boots tapping against the metal floor soon died away, replaced by an ominous silence. Isaac breathed steadily and peeked out of the slit in the doorway, checking both ends to confirm the all clear. '_Well, looks like nobody's here. Time to make my move and get the hell out of dodge._' Isaac put his left hand forward and very carefully slid the door open, little by little. Eventually, Isaac slipped silently out of his room and crouched walked along the hallway leading to the hangar. With any luck, he can leave this ship and be far away before Archer's men came in to break up the party. '_No time to waste._' He pondered. As he continued at a snail's pace in order to avoid detection as best he could, he passed by the research lab. Normally, he would have just moved past that. However, a green shimmer caught his attention. '_Wonder what that is._' Curiosity overwhelming his more pressing matter, he slipped into the lab with nary a sound and shut the door behind him, locking it from the inside.

There sitting held in place by a zero-gravity field was a weird alien-like crystal that hummed with energy all-too familiar to Isaac and glowing a bright-greenish blue hue. Its light enveloped the lab itself, its green glow permeating the walls with its rare beauty. Isaac reached out to grab the crystal from its prison. All it took was a single touch and Isaac felt his subconscious being pulled forward into time. A fortune teller or a prediction of a possible future. The memories contained within sped by Isaac within a split second. One moment was dominated by a alien-looking Sarah fighting an equally repulsive blue predatory species, clothed in what appeared to be ancient armor similar in design to the Vikings of old. The Sarah presented before him was a different beast altogether. Instead of emerald eyes, this creature had glowing yellow irises, already a clear indicator of her infestation. If that wasn't enough, everything about her was completely organic yet alien in nature. The purple bio skeleton-like shell that covered her sickly green body. Lips of pure red with scaly skin lining its outlines. Her segmented hair which stretched a good length down her back. Even more terrifying was the pair of fleshy blades sticking out of her spine, as if it was a natural extension of her spinal cord. As he continued to watch the battle, he came to the conclusion that her blades also had a secondary purpose as a rough endoskeleton for bat-like wings. 'The ability to fly, blades sharp enough to cut through hardened steel and psychic powers beyond any normal level of comprehension. Yet, she seemed lacking as she squared off against the other alien, armed only with a hand blade and a carved energy dagger. Was she holding back? Was this the corruption Isaac had been warned about by the crew? More importantly, was she…. fighting back?

The scene altered in a haze of blurry outlines and images before settling on the blue alien's pilgrimage to uncover the 'legendary' prophecy from the mind of a dead Zerg creature. Isaac was completely unfamiliar with the forces under its command nor was he convinced that a dead creature could speak from the grave. Once again, this universe confounded him another time as he watched the alien place a blue hand onto the creature's scaly, slimy, moist and most likely cold skin, receiving the equivalent of a download into his memories. The future he saw remained fuzzy and blank but over time, the images began to gain clarity and soon Isaac wore the same face of the alien, one of complete confusion and terror. If that was their future, then it would seem that the hands that guided Archer and his merry band of fanatics were also dipping their hands into this universe's cookie jar as well. For Isaac, this was nothing more than a slight hiccup in his plan. For anyone else, this revelation would've been nothing sort of mind-blowing. Fortunately for him, not even the aliens seem to grasp the idea of a higher power behind an already devastatingly powerful beast. As the research lab slowly returned to his vision, something else had appeared in front of Isaac. Ariel Hanson stood tall over the crouched Isaac, clutching a standard-issue revolver in her hands and aiming its business end squarely at Isaac's temple, the cold metal of the barrel pressing against his rough skin.

"Get up." Hanson commanded, her hands shaking, compromising her aim. Not that it mattered at this range.

"Put your damn toy away, doctor before you hurt someone with it." Isaac sardonically quipped as he stood up and faced the good doctor.

"Funny. It's just what I had in mind." She angrily replied, jamming her weapon further against Isaac's skull. Isaac rolled his eyes in their sockets and raised his hands in surrender.

"You have the upper hand, doc. Better make sure you know how to utilize it." Isaac commented with a harshness he'd rarely heard echo from his gaping maw he called a mouth.

"Like you did with us?" Ariel grimly replied, her eyes not wavering from Isaac's for even a split second.

"Doc. Get this through your thick skull. Everybody lies."

"That a statement?" Ariel said as she made the rookie mistake of walking towards him in an attempt to retrieve his weapon.

"No." Isaac's eye glinted as he sighted his chance. "It's a fact." Leaping into action, he shoved Ariel's outstretched arm aside, causing the startled and frightened woman to fire off a shot before releasing her grip on her firearm, letting it slide across the room to the other side. Isaac followed up with a weak uppercut to her jaw. This sent Ariel flying into the air and slamming head first into a pile of unused equipment. Her glasses broke apart as the lens shattered on impact, sending tiny shards of glass scattering amongst the mess. Ariel groaned in pain and tried in vain to prop herself up, only to find herself staring down the barrel of Isaac's own handcannon.

"It seems I've beat the house. Thank you, Ms. Hanson." Isaac bowed in a mock gesture, causing Ariel to scoff in contempt.

"Are you going to kill me?" she spat out, letting her hair drop loose around her face.

"I'm sorry..?" Isaac answered, utterly confused by her statement.

"They say you're a war criminal. That you were responsible for the death of nearly 4 billion people on your home planet. After Ariel said her piece, Isaac forced himself to hold back a chuckle. '_So, looks likes Holden decided to play the morality card. Hmm, not the first time. I guess I'll play along. Not like I have any choice_.' Raising his firearm, he addressed the doctor.

"Well, since you ask so nicely….." he grinned eerily, giving off a strong creepy tone.

"I HOPE YOU GO TO HELL, YOU MONSTER!" Ariel could not help but scream out, undoubtedly alerting every Tom, Dick and Harry to his location. Sighing with that prospect in his foreseeable future, Isaac aimed his APM at Hanson and cocked the hammer.

"You first." He proclaimed before letting loose a single round. The sound vibrated outside of the room and Isaac felt the silence start to seep back in again. Averting his attention from Ariel's body, he set his eyes on the crystal floating above him. Grabbing it, he threw it onto the ground with unimaginable force, causing the yellowish-blue crystal to shatter into a million pieces. Isaac looked upon the carnage with amusement and started shifting through the pieces. A minute elapsed and Isaac finally uncovered his prize, a dark, grayish metal which glowed bright blue and gave off a sense of empowerment. Another piece of the puzzle safely tucked away in his back pocket, Isaac stepped out of the research lab, sparing only a fleeting glance at Ariel. '_Well at least, I had the foresight of loading non-lethal bean bag rounds. With any luck, she'll wake up with nothing more than a headache._' Isaac beamed at his ingenuity and slipped back into the shadows of the dark with the dexterity of a ninja.

"What?!" James and Sarah cried out in near prefect unison.

"Does it look like we're in the mood to play games at this late hour? I'm sure." Matt scoffed and scratched his hair at the notion, a little hurtful at their reaction. How could they not believe him? Then again, if he were in their position he too would have dropped his jaw in utter disbelief at the very situation he was presenting to them at this very moment. All around him, drowsy crew members were interspersed with those that showed genuine concern and fear. A great many more were simply absent, including Ariel Hanson. Stetmann was downright fidgety at this fact, hoping that nothing bad had happened to her.

"Let me get this straight, Matt. An entire fleet worth of Dominion ships warped in without notice and surrounded, all without warranting a single notice from any of you? Either everyone's been sleeping on the job or you all need glasses." James sarcastically quipped, furious that they had slipped up big time.

"That's the thing. One minute they weren't here and the next they just started appearing in droves." Matt exasperatedly defended. "No, I'm being serious. Ask the rest of the crew. They'll tell you the exact same thing." He added, noting James' piercing and burning glare on him.

"How is that even possible? No ship I've come across before has managed to accomplish such a feat." Sarah asked, both intrigued and a little bit terrified by this incredulous development. She hid it well, preferring to adopt a calm-like façade as she spoke.

"That's not the problem. The issue is that half of the ship's crew are now prowling the halls searching for Isaac. I say we just hand him over and slip away in the confusion." Matt verbally proclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to the real problem they faced. At Matt's suggestion, most of the crew present murmured in agreement.

"What makes you think they'll take the bait?" asked Sarah, still unsure of the current plan being formulated.

"It's the only one we've got. They want him? I say we give them what they want. Anyone else got a better idea?" James asked, raising his hand to grab their attention once more. Silence followed, giving James and Matt the go-ahead. "Alright, everyone spread out and find him. Search every corner of this place. If you see him, call for backup. Do not, I repeat do NOT engage him at will. Consider him armed and dangerous. Understood?" The whole room nodded. "Good. Now go." James commanded, throwing his arm out and pointing at the door leading out into the main hallway. No-one bothered to question him further. They simply just shambled and raced down the corridor, eager to begin the hunt. Soon only James, Sarah and Matt remained in the room, staring at the mass of ships wearing the iconic red flag creating a massive blockade around them.

"How did he escape? I thought we secured properly." Matt queried, directing his question at James and Raynor.

"I don't know. Doesn't matter now. What matters is that we find this SOB and bring him in. God help us all…." James trailed off as he watched another ship loom into view, enforcing an already sizeable force.

Unbeknownst to them, a lone agent was prowling about the engine room, planting small chunks of plastic explosives onto the power core and propulsion systems. He placed a finger to his earpiece, receiving a short burst of static, followed shortly by a direct, authoritative voice boomed into his eardrum.

"How is it coming along, my disciple?" the voice questioned. The agent gave himself a wide grin before enthusiastically replying.

"It is nearly done, Father. Soon this ship will be ours for the taking."

"I expect…. Wait, what is that?" the voice's tone changed quickly, concern slowly seeping in. The agent picked up on this and quickly took cover behind a metal pillar. He watched as an engineer sauntered into the room, wielding a flashlight and shining it in his general direction.

"How do I proceed, Father?" he spoke fanatically, overjoyed at his service to the Holy Prophet.

"Proceed as planned. Deal with any nuisances in any way you see fit. Above all, if you see Isaac Eisenhower, do not engage him." The voice found his neutral tone and commanded his loyal follower.

"May I ask why, Father?" the disciple asked.

"It is part of our God's plan. Do not question his ingenuity. Do so again and the cross shall be your home."

"I live to serve Him, Father." He adamantly stated, placing a fist to his heart.

"Very well then. Do not disappoint me, my child." The voice cut out and the disciple resumed his duties. As the engineer came closer, the disciple decided to choke him out from behind. He watched as the engineer frantically attempted to struggle his way out of his chokehold. Within seconds, he saw his eyes start to close and his body went limp. He dragged the engineer into a secluded corner and hid him underneath the stairs, far away from the blast radius. While it would have been more expedient to just stab him, the fanatic decided against it, choosing to leave a much smaller mess behind. As the last of the explosives were set, he scrambled out of the room and whipped out from his pocket a blinking detonator. One click and the whole ground shook underneath as the explosion rocketed across the ship, causing the fanatic agent to stagger about and grab the wall for support. The door leading to the engine was leaking out billowing smoke and satisfied that his task was complete, the disciple ran off in the opposite direction. It was a good day for Archer Holden indeed…

On the other side of the ship, Isaac stumbled as he felt the floor underneath shudder from a terrifying explosion that rocketed Isaac's senses. '_Shit. Did they start firing?_' came the most logical theory. Looking out one of the windows, that theory was soon disavowed. '_Well, at least this ship isn't tearing apart. Silver lining_, _I guess' _He sneaked into the hangar deck. His firearm still raised, he scanned the room for any potential hostiles. '_None so far. I'll take it._' He shifted out of his cover and moved up, peeking over a pile of crates. There it was, his ticket out of here. The dropship just sat there, ripe for taking. He was so overcome with relief that he did not notice a short, pudgy man with a mechanical arm sneak up behind him and aim a meaty shotgun directly at Isaac's back. Too late, the only warning Isaac received was the cock of a shotgun as it ejected an empty shell casing and loaded a fresh one into the chamber. Sighing with frustration, Isaac turned around and found himself staring down death from close range wielded by Swann.

"Hello, asshole." Swann abbreviated.

"Nice to see you too, Swann." Isaac dryly replied.

"I've been looking for you, you little sack of garbage."

"You and half the ship. I didn't realize I was that popular. Something you want to tell me?"

"You first. Was that little number on the engine your doing?" Swann grimaced and growled as he saw Isaac's mouth widen with joy.

"I don't believe that anyone has commented so nicely about my work of art. Thank you, kind sir." Isaac mockingly bowed to Swann, whose finger started curl tantalizingly over the trigger.

"Shut up, Isaac." Swann growled loudly, his patience nearing his breaking point.

"My, my. You should really watch that temper of yours." Isaac dryly remarked, trying to fake some sort of sadistic pleasure at Swann's expense.

"You keep this up and you won't be able to watch a thing." Swann emphasized plainly, his eyes darting to his boomstick.

Swann kept his weapon aimed at his target and ushered him to the storage room cage. Isaac went along with this charade, keeping his hands raised and not once disobeying Swann's commands. As they reached the pen, Isaac opened his mouth once more.

"Nice place you got her, but I usually get a date first before being invited back home." He joked, earning Swann's ire.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to….Arggh!" came Swann's voice as Isaac whipped around and sucker punched him right in the stomach. Doubling over in pain, he lashed out wildly at the air in front of him. To his surprise, he felt his elbow connect with Isaac's leg. This sent Isaac tumbling to the ground as fresh pain shot through his nerves. Isaac relented for a moment and that was all Swann needed to throttle Isaac's neck with both his mechanical arm and his normal one. Isaac began to gasp for air, frantically pulling at Swann's hands to buy him some breathing room. Swann kept up the pressure, slowly but surely choking the life out of Isaac Eisenhower. It felt like the end, his vision blurring, his movements becoming more and more desperate and his limbs started to feel weightless and did less flailing about. Out of the corner of his blurry vision, he made a metal stick lying just several feet from him. He reached for it and brought it crashing down Swann's skull. The wrench collided with a loud 'thwang' sound, sending the dwarfish oaf reeling on the floor.

Isaac gasped for fresh air and held his red neck as he stood up, tossing aside his makeshift weapon. Swann too decided to prop himself up, readying his fists after wiping a trickle of blood flowing down his forehead.

"Come on, let's you and me go a couple of rounds." Swann taunted, cracking his knuckles and egging his prisoner to make the first move. Isaac breathed slowly, causing the world to slow down to a crawl. He made his move, landing a series of gut-wrenching blows to Swann's chest. As Swann's hand came down for a kill-shot, he nimbly sidestepped out of harm's way. Isaac took another deep breath before grabbing Swann by the scruff of his engineer overalls. He twisted around the burly dwarf, holding his fleshy arm and breaking its bones with a swift elbow to the humerus. Swann refused to surrender, landing a solid punch on Isaac's jaw with his mechanized arm, even as his other arm reeled in unbearable pain and agony. Swann smirked proudly as he noticed Isaac tending to his dislocated jaw, blood oozing from his mouth. This irritated Isaac and he decided to fight dirty. Reaching for his revolver, he felt time halt to a crawl as he rechambered the cylinder with taser rounds. As the cylinder whizzed back into place, Isaac dexterously pointed his APM at Swann's robotic limb and let loose. The jolt of electricity surging through his body made Swann stutter and shake uncontrollably for a second. His flesh felt cooked like meat at a barbeque and smoke started to rise from his singed hair. While his mind raged with fury, his body conceded defeat and the darkness overwhelmed Swann as he laid down, sprawled all over the floor.

"Night-night, Swann." Isaac taunted to Swann's unconscious form.

'_Well, that's all settled with.'_ Isaac panted and his breathing was heavy from his fight with Swann. He holstered his APM and shambled over to the armory. Inside Isaac's eyes widened as he saw one of the Hyperion's nukes sitting pretty on the shelf. Whistling at the sight of it, Isaac decided to take said device from their possession and repurpose it for his own uses. '_If memory serves me, all I need is one of those purple crystals and I'll be golden. Or I could end up somewhere else. Not time to consider my options though._' Isaac stretched and cracked his hands before grabbing a screwdriver from a conveniently placed toolbox and setting his sights on the device laid before him on the table.

This was going to be a long night….

James and Sarah walked carefully down the corridor, scanning every hiding spot possible as they went along. On the left side, James scoured the area with his trusty gauss rifle in hand, training its sights into every nook and cranny conceivable. Looking behind him, he watched as Sarah scanned her side of the corridor and give him the 'all clear' signal.

"Where the hell could he be?" James asked Sarah rhetorically.

"I don't know. Maybe somewhere in Engineering?"

"I doubt it. Not after his fireworks show. Guess that blows running away in this hunk of metal." James retorted, slamming his fist against the frame of a door. From the most recent report he received, Isaac had been a very busy man. Apparently an engineer was down in the engine room, checking on the propulsion system. Almost instantly, he was subdued by some unknown assailant who then proceeded to sabotage the ship's engines with high-grade explosives. The engineer in question came to in a bombed out room with wall of fires and clouds of smoke encroaching near him. Help arrived at the most opportune moment as marines heard the door leading to the engine room being banged on with a lead pipe. When the fires had been put out, a marine was sent to report the damage. So not only was a homicidal maniac on the loose in his ship, his propulsion systems were completely obliterated with no hope of salvaging it or getting a new one up and running in the span of one and a half hours. Their situation was to put it bluntly, totally screwed up the wazoo.

"Right. He wouldn't stay too close to the scene of the crime. Where would he be then?" Sarah continued on, choosing to remain oblivious to James' tantrum. Way she saw it, everyone on the ship was on edge and James was no exception.

"Ummmm…." James said as his mind raced through the possibilities. "Maybe the research lab?" James concluded.

"How do you figure?" questioned Sarah.

"Well, he has to get materials for his ammunition. And we did confiscate most of his ammunition when we checked him in to our 'room'."

"That makes sense." Sarah agreed.

"Let's go then. I don't want that psychopath escaping." James stated as he started sprinting, followed closely by Sarah.

"You and me both." She gritted through her teeth.

James and Sarah stood at opposite sides of the door with James throwing up three fingers to Sarah, signaling a countdown. One finger went down and Sarah pulled back on the action of her rifle, eager to spill the bastard's blood. Another finger went down. Sarah looked into James' eyes and gave a curt nod implying the notion that she was ready. The last finger came down and James tore away from his cover and faced the door, before dealing it a good hard kick and scrambling into the room. As their weapons trailed around the room, Sarah's eyes fell on the body of Ariel Hanson slumped backwards in a pile of lab equipment.

"Jim, over here! It's Ariel!" Sarah shouted across the room as she bolted towards her with reckless abandon. Reaching her, she placed a hand towards her neck. '_Still alive, thank the gods._' She thought joyously to herself. Jim soon joined her by her side, looking over the good doctor.

"Is she alright?" James' voice began as he swallowed, indicated by his bulging throat.

"She's fine." Sarah basically stated, still euphoric that their friend was still alive. "Just unconscious."

"Good. That's…good…." Jim trailed off, his gaze averted to the containment chamber that once housed the Ihan memory crystal.

"He took the crystal. So that's what he was after." James echoed his thoughts out loud. "I wonder why?"

"We can ask him that when we find him." Sarah harshly replied, not giving a damn about anything else but vengeance. Never since Arcturus Mengsk did Sarah visibly and emotionally feel angry about any particular individual. Isaac's face simmered through her memories and her hatred grew tenfold till she just snapped.

"You get her somewhere safe. Take her to the escape pods. If Arcturus doesn't keep his word, we're all going to go down with the ship. Get as many people as you can there." Sarah spoke in a dark, foreboding tone.

"No. No way in hell. I'm not leaving you…." James tried to vehemently defy her order but was interrupted by a soft moan emanating from Ariel who remained wrapped in his arms.

"I don't have time to argue about this! Go!" Sarah grimaced and stepped out of the room, her eyes flaring up and her mind dead-set on stopping Isaac. James could only watch as his lover stormed out of the room, rifle in hand off to bring an end to that bastard.

When Sarah was done with him, he would be begging for mercy…

Merely fifteen minutes had elapsed and Isaac stood back and beamed proudly as he gazed upon his latest miracle. On the table sat a crudely built nuclear round, its symbol etched out on the casing with a blowtorch. By far not his best work. Considering the circumstances however, he'd take anything he could get. Stashing it securely in his pocket, Isaac was about to leave the armory when a shrill female voice echoed in the hangar bay.

"ISAAC! COME OUT AND FACE ME!" bellowed a frankly pissed off Sarah Kerrigan, brandishing her signature sniper rifle and waving it wildly around the length of the gigantic room. Isaac pushed the door open gently and silently until he could peek out without risk or fear of detection. Sarah stood in the middle of the room, spinning wildly around and letting her scarlet wavy hair fly in all directions. '_This woman's one vendetta keeper. I don't have time for this though. I need to get out of here._' This thought was further exacerbated when Isaac realized where she was walking towards. '_Brilliant. Just prefect. That woman had to go stand right in front of my ticket to freedom. Damn you, Lady Luck._' Isaac shook his fist at the heavens and growled in a low tone to indicate his irritation with the situation. Still peeking out from his vantage point, he watched as Sarah fumed and stomped all around his ride, having already dragged Swann off into the sidelines earlier. To say she was inconsolable and out for blood was putting it mildly.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER, ISAAC?! ARE YOU TOO MUCH OF A COWARD TO FIGHT ME?!" she let loose with her mouth. Isaac crept up slowly towards her and took cover behind a nearby cargo container, making sure to keep to the shadows for maximum coverage. He was almost spotted as he dodge-rolled into an adjacent container. That itself was already responded by a well-placed round perforating his previous cover spot. '_Damn it. That girl's got some reach._' He thought as he kept low behind the crate, not daring any chance of peeking out.

"OH, ISAAC! COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!" she cooed in a high-pitched tone. Isaac grunted in pain as his leg muscles started twitching madly from his previous injuries.

"Listen to me, Sarah. Just walk away and let me go. No-one has to get hurt." Isaac pleaded to Sarah from behind cover.

"Too late for that, Isaac. A few weeks too late." She snarled and fired a single round into a nearby container, causing it to tumble from its pile and scatter its contents everywhere. Isaac's heart start to beat at an ungodly pace and he started to pant. Adrenaline flooded his veins and nerves, momentarily blocking out the pain.

"I know you're upset. I get that. Put the gun down and we can talk this out." As soon as those words passed his lips, he knew he made a big mistake.

"UPSET?! UPSET! OH, LET ME TELL YOU ISAAC! I'M FAR FROM UPSET AT THIS POINT!" she bitterly yelled.

"I don't want to hurt you. Drop the gun or else…." Isaac trailed off, not wanting to threaten Sarah any further. Unfortunately, she saw it in an all new different light.

"Or what?" Sarah mocked.

Isaac, fed up with negotiating closed his eyes and let his mind focus and concentrate as Sarah began to narrow the distance. As his eyes flung open, time around him began to slowly move at a slower pace to the point that Isaac could make out individual dust particles. Standing up from his cover spot, he briskly walked over to Sarah, who in this altered state moved at a glacial pace, her rifle slowly swinging about and her trigger finger curling around her rifle's trigger. Isaac calmly dodged the bullet as it exploded from her rifle, a straight line of compressed air marking the bullet's trajectory and flight path. Time began to return to its normal state and Isaac, now behind Kerrigan grabbed her shooting arm and used it a fulcrum, swinging the ghost several times. He felt his skin tear apart and looked to his bemusement that Sarah's nail had dug into his arm, sporting a nasty scratch which drew blood. Isaac let go of her but not before yanking her prized possession from her iron-clad grasp. A look of shock and befuddlement looked at Isaac as she flew in the air before landing with a bone crushing thud against an unmanned aerial combat drone, the expensive equipment cracking cleanly into two under her weight.

Grunting in pain and sporting a small slash across her face from her landing, she circled Isaac as he tried to make his escape. Blocking his path to the ship, she could only stare as Isaac gave a weird grunt and without warning use his leg to snap her rifle into pieces. Sarah reached into her belt and pulled out a short serrated combat knife and employed an offensive stance. Yet, Isaac did not seem taken aback by her dedication and ferocity. In fact, was he actually laughing?

"Hahaha….. A little girl like you carrying something dangerous. Do you think that's wise?" Isaac joked at her expense. Her response was to execute a swift jab at his torso, narrowly missing it by centimeters as Isaac nimbly stepped back.

"Tsk…Tsk…" he shook his head. "You'll have to try harder than that." He taunted, provoking the hot-headed ghost. She made a series of quick stabs, jabs and lunges from that point. Her fury was painfully obvious as each of her attacks resounded with brute force, rather than with cunning or tactics. Sarah could care less, only seeing red where Isaac was.

"Missed again." He dryly remarked as he dodged for the twelfth time. This game of cat and mouse bored Isaac to tears. Seeing his chance, he chose to end it there and then. Sarah lunged at him once more and this time, he made no motion to step out of the way. Using his hands, he sandwiched Sarah's sharp weapon between his palms and used his body to twist the knife, resulting in twisting Sarah's already broken arm. Howling as fresh pain jolted her senses, she had no chance to block Isaac's sucker punch, landing her flat on her back. Isaac took a step forward and towered over Sarah, pulling the service weapon he had procured from Ariel earlier.

Isaac felt his head pound with agonizing pain as memories of last night started flashing before his eyes. The images repeated themselves to the point of insanity, making Isaac clutch his temple with his free hand. Sarah simply watched as the man standing above winced and shook in unbearable agony. Finally the pain subsided and Isaac realized what his mind was telling him. Here he was, about to execute a young hothead who didn't know any better. Not a child but any stretch of the matter but not exactly behaving like a proper adult. The flashes of his nightmare stung as Isaac echoed the words that were spoken. To call it a coincidence and nothing more felt cynical, a lazy attempt on his part to justify his actions. Hesitantly he lowered his weapon, prompting Sarah to stare at him in confusion and bewilderment. Alas, before she could ponder the gravity of his actions, she heard him speak.

"Thank you for playing, Sarah Kerrigan." And that was the last thing she remembered before his mighty boot came up and came crashing down upon her face.

Isaac panted heavily and took ragged breaths as he climbed up the ramp of the dropship. Sitting himself in the pilot's chair, he did an all systems check. Isaac was at home with the controls of the dropship, second-nature for someone descending from a military background. As he flew away, his thoughts were to the stars and the worlds he might visit in search of the elusive purple crystal. '_Perhaps Char may hold some answers. Or even this facility called Castanar. Maybe even this Aiur place._' Sadly, fate once again intervened and Isaac gaped in horror as his systems read an engine malfunction. Even worse, he had already left the hangar bay itself, meaning he couldn't even bail out. As the ship slowly descended on a collision course with a ship adorned with white and gold paint, Isaac let his eyes close and his senses shut down. '_I guess Lady Luck has left the building….._' his mind wandered in the final moments before impact.

James Raynor was not one to leave a damsel-in-distress behind. As soon as Ariel was handed off to Matt, who took her with a look of genuine concern, he had dashed off to the hangar bay, his mind focused on helping his lover, promises be damned. '_She's my girl. I'm not losing her again._' His mind repeated repetitively as he made his way through the twisting maze of the now desolate Hyperion. By the time he pushed the door aside, it looked like he was too late. A lone dropship was preparing to take off and Sarah laid on the ground, still and not budging an inch.

"NO! NO!" he screamed, almost sure he had lost for good in that moment. Fury overtook him and he reached for his revolver. James yelled as he raised his revolver.

"ISAAC! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU." He screamed in rage. As he stepped forward, James let loose with his revolver with no regard whatsoever. Every time a round passed his barrel, James would release a scream, insinuating and implying his desperation and hopelessness in a scenario that has spiraled out of control. As his gun clicked empty, he saw to grim satisfaction that a lucky shot had managed to ground the flying bastard and saw with greedy, grateful and almost sadistic blue orbs as the ship collided with an unknown ship amongst the Dominion ships. '_See you in hell, Isaac._' James thought with almost euphoric pleasure. His mood only improved when he checked Sarah's pulse. '_Oh, thank God. She's alive. She's alive._'

And with that, he hauled her over his shoulder and carried his love from the hangar bay and back into the hallways of the Hyperion, confident at last that at least one nightmare was finally over….

Several hours later….

As the fires dimmed on the crew deck of the Scarsion, the White Phoenix's prized vessel and the pride of the cult, a lone figure stepped out of the wreckage, his skin slightly charred and blood seeping from his forehead. His hair was ragged and messy in addition to being slightly singed from the ensuing crash. As the figure stepped out of the wreckage that was his dropship, soot and dried blood staining his torn clothes and pale skin, he collapsed from blood loss and remained unconscious in the brightly lit hallway. As his life started to ebb away, a single solitary voice dragged his subconscious away from the light, pulling him by his feet back to reality. The voice echoed in his mind and both relieved and chilled the figure right to his very core.

"**Time to wake up, brother." **And his pale red eyes flung wide open, cursing silently for his unending nightmare…

**This chapter was by far the most action-based one I've ever done in a while. It was pretty awesome to write and yet at the same time, I felt like my words didn't accurately portray what I had in mind. Ah, well. This story may just end in the next chapter but I'd like to get some feedback before I start writing it. Thanks again for reading and please review and send suggestions to me. It's much appreciated.**

**P.S : If anyone could help me with adjective words for the story, that'd be great as I'm stuck with a limited one in my opinion. Thanks again…**


	7. Innocence, The Myth Of Mankind

**Chapter 6 : Innocence, The Myth Of Mankind**

**A/N : This chapter is not the final chapter, just to be clear. I've decided to flesh out the characters of Sarah and James a little bit more before I trundle forward to the finale of this act. In any case, I have had some trouble with their motivations. Hopefully, it works out okay. For now, here we go…**

"Arghhhh…" Isaac groaned agonizingly as he took another step down the empty corridor. '_Well at least I'll die surrounded by fancy décor._' He thought to himself, attempting to lighten up the mood. Say what you like about the White Phoenix. For a fanatical cult hell-bent on serving 'God', they sure seemed obsessed with architecture. Gone were the grey metal halls that lined the Hyperion and the endless repetition of steel doors covering nearly every inch of the place. Instead, it was replaced by pure white walls with golden symbols of a flying phoenix dotted every few feet or so. The doors were still grey and metallic but it had a certain metal sheen to it that just did not exist on the Hyperion. Had Isaac been none the wiser of their motivations, he would found the ship's interior eerily calming and soothing.

"**We do not have time to ponder the scenery. We must find the crystal so we can leave this place.**" came the voice inside his head. Isaac nearly yelped back in surprise when it filtered through his ears. It was shocking to discover that a voice had been in your head for quite some mind. Even more heart-stopping had been the revelation that it was his brother's voice. His brother. The one who died by his hands.

"I know. I know. Stop screaming in my head." He mentally argued, knocking himself on the head hoping to make him keep quiet.

"**You are our vessel now, brother. Like it or not, your well-being is completely my concern.**" It retorted. Even in death, his brother was a straight-to-the-point and brutally honest kinda guy.

"Do I have to start eating for two now?" he tried to lighten the tension between them.

"Do you have to joke about everything?" he grimly stated. '_Great, there goes that plan._' Isaac shrugged innocently and trundled forward in spite of the immense pain flaring up in his body. As Isaac sought to take a break on the wall in order to catch his breath, he heard footsteps approach his position. Sounds started vibrating in his general direction and a snippet of a conversation filled his eardrums.

"Come on. Whoever was in that crash would probably be dead by now."

"How'd you know that, Steve? It's not a guaranteed science."

"Did you see the wreckage? No offense but I'd bet my life that no-one survived that crash." As his partner readied with a witty remark, he felt a hand shove his head forward and making him collide with his partner's temple. One loud crack and thump sound later and Isaac was admiring his handiwork, watching as the two guards fell over and did not move a single muscle.

"Well, that takes care of that." Isaac commented to himself.

"**They will discover their absence soon. We must hurry**." Spoke his brother's voice.

"Way to make my victory feel insignificant, brother." Argued Isaac as his words deflated the sense of enjoyment from this victory.

"**It is insignificant.**" Subtlety, his middle name was not.

"Let's just go." Isaac dryly replied mentally. After stripping them of any spare supplies and relieving them of their firearms, Isaac headed down the opposite end of the corridor. Sliding the connecting door, he stepped into an adjacent corridor and raised his pillaged rifle, scanning his flanks for any potential threats. This repeated itself for the next ten minutes and Isaac realized he had crash-landed in a section of the ship that was deserted. Perhaps they intended to use this space in the future. Whatever the case, right now it was just a bunch of unused and sometimes barren rooms cobbled together to make a deck. Intimidation tactics, no prizes for guessing.

"**I feel a presence approaching us**." His brother's voice returned as Isaac canvassed another room.

"Nearby?" Isaac queried. '_Just prefect, more company_.' He figured to himself.

"**It is not a disciple or even a priest for that matter. I detect a group of people arriving in a dropship. They are closing the gap to us in short time**." The voice answered, bringing fear to Isaac's red orbs.

"Are they friendly? Who are they?"

"**The signal is cripplingly weak but the ghost's presence is familiar.**"

"Wait? Sarah? What's she doing in their dropship? How?"

"**I do not know myself, brother. Perhaps their crew was picked up by Holden's disciples after their sabotage**." The voice weakly justified. Still Isaac was a tad bit disbelieving. '_No matter, I have to convince them of the threat the White Phoenix poses_.'

"**What shall you do?" **asked his brother's disembodied voice.

"I need to convince them of the danger Archer and his cultist poses to them." Isaac related to his inner voice about his reasoning behind his plan.

"**You will not sway their allegiance. Not with the lies of his words still flowing through their skulls**." The voice warned forebodingly.

"I have to try. If it doesn't work out, then I'm prepared to dirty my hands a little bit more."

"**Are you prepared to spill more blood than is necessary? Will you have the willpower to commit such a crime?" **The voice spoke crudely and without sugarcoating the ramifications of failure on Isaac's plan.

"Only one way to find out." Isaac sighed as the voice dug deeper into his mind, disappearing for the moment. Leaping into action, he found an empty room far off from the main hallway and his inside. Behind him, he used one of the scavenged rifles to barricade the door, wedging it between the handles. The other he laid by his side, fully loaded and ready for any intruders. As he adopted a meditating stance, he mentally talked to his brother who in his mind looked visibly upset with his plan, crossing his arms while listening to Isaac.

"**I still insist that this plan is foolish.**" His brother admitted to his face.

"My body, my rules. Now, do you still possess the ability to peer and enter other people's minds?"

"**I do.**" The voice replied haltingly and reluctantly.

"I'll need to use that in order to pull off my harebrained scheme."

"**Glad to see you agree with me on this one at least. Very well, brother. I'm ready when you are.**" The voice finally relented. Isaac mentally projected a thank you and entered his meditative state. '_It's now or never, Isaac. Time to lay down your hands, buddy._'

Sarah Kerrigan scoffed and grumbled to herself as she, James, Matt, Swann and Ariel were being transported in a dropship to a large white ship that bore the sign of a golden phoenix, rising from equally colorful flames below it. Her companions all looked like they've been through hell. That day had not gone over well. If Isaac hadn't interfered or even showed up on Char, she and James would have been living a good albeit dangerous life of saving the galaxy and plotting new creative ways to kill Arcturus Mengsk. As her eyes darted to each and every individual, she felt a twang of guilt seep into her heart. Did she really deserve any of this? After all she had done on Aiur, Char, Tyrador and many more planets? After betraying her beloved and his allies once and causing untold misery upon so many lives. In a way, she's glad that she had no memories of her former self. The pain of watching over and over again must have taken a toll on James. Regardless, she had gotten over it and focused all her efforts into redeeming her good name. While her relationship with James should by all accounts be incredibly strained, they had both forgiven one another for each other's actions. Her emerald eyes met Ariel and she received a warm smile from the doctor in return. After saving her life earlier on the Hyperion, Ariel had come to accept Sarah as a living human being, not the monster that she was made out to be by many.

Her eyes turned to Swann and she saw sorrow, regret, guilt and a multitude of emotions on his battered, weary face. She couldn't blame him. Out of all the people on the ship, only Swann had developed a strong camaraderie with the imposter. To see the truth behind it all and learning that his friend was not who he turned out to be would take a toll on any self-respecting person. Furthermore, he must have felt guilty about trusting too soon and letting Isaac have free rein around the ship. He dropped his head in silence, still desperately seeking to digest the truth laid out before him. Matt and James on the other hand looked overjoyed and happy. '_I guess I should be too. At least the bastard's dead at long last._' Upon hearing that James had been the catalyst for Isaac's death filled her with pride and joy. The kisses she had planted on his delirious face had been more than fair recompense for stopping a psychopathic killer. Matt too had reacted favorably to this news, glad that Isaac Eisenhower was burning to a crisp out there wherever he is. As she laid back and tried to get some shut-eye during the long trip to their savior's ship, an all-too familiar figure crept back into her subconscious and dragged her into the darkness, putting her body into a deep slumber. But it was the voice that followed that truly instilled fear into the heart of Sarah Kerrigan.

"Did you miss me, Sarah?" cooed Isaac Eisenhower menacingly in her mind.

Just like that, she found herself in the limitless room once again. This time however, the solitary lightbulb in the middle of the room had been replaced with a chandelier glowing brightly like the sun. Below it in its radiating glow was a small coffee table made out of oakwood. Several dents and scratches dotted the table legs, indicating that it was well-used and worn out. Three chairs of the same make surrounded the chair. Sitting in one of them was the monster she never expected to lay her eyes on ever again. And yet there he was, waving his arm at her, beckoning her to his side. Seeing no other option, she forced her feet to drag themselves towards the table, all the while silently cursing under her bated breath.

"Ah, Kerrigan. So glad you could join us." said Isaac in a soothing, calm tone. At the mention of 'us', Sarah raised a disconcerting eyebrow.

"Us? Who are you…." As if to answer her question, the figure with the bullet wound stepped out of the shadows, giving the ghost a tremendous fright. She stared blankly as the figure curtly nodded to Isaac and took his seat beside Isaac. Sarah flared her nostrils. Two of her most despised foes in a single room? Anyone sane would be cautious as well. Isaac picked up on this quickly.

"Don't be afraid, Sarah. There is no way to harm you whilst in your mind. Now, come and take a seat." Isaac reassured Sarah, pointing to the chair opposite him. Sarah gave him a wary glare as she closed the distance between her and the table. Her emerald eyes still trained on the pair, she pulled her chair and reluctantly sat her behind down on the soft wooden furniture. Several moments passed in total silence, composed of Isaac fiddling with his thumbs and Sarah crossing her arms, waiting to hear what this bastard had left to say. A pause, then Isaac cleared his throat and faced Sarah, staring deeply into those piercing green eyes.

"I assume you want to know why you're here. Or where here is?" Isaac stated plainly, not bothering to sugarcoat his words. It was important to gain Sarah's trust or failing that, break her until she listens. Based off Sarah's reply to his question with a disgruntled snort, the second option seemed more likely with each passing second. Isaac checked his watch and signaled to the figure sitting next to him.

"I believe it's best if I do this alone." Isaac said to him. The figure raised his hand in protest. "No, she'll not open up if both of us are here. Besides, you have to work James over. Alright?" The figure nodded. "Good. I'll see you back shortly." With that, the figure rose from his chair and sauntered back into the shadows. Sarah felt his malice leave the room. '_Great. It's just me and him now._' she grunted as the thought passed her mind.

"Will you please start talking? It's going to be a long ride to the Scarsion. You might as well speak up." Isaac said with a faint hint of pleading.

"We have nothing to say. Where are we?" Sarah retorted violently.

"I would have expected you to recognize your subconscious by now. You were trapped in here for four years. Or has your brain conveniently dumped that piece of non-important information?" Isaac smirked, his grin growing wider and wider.

"What?" Sarah replied with a hint of confusion.

"It's a wonder, isn't it?" Isaac mentioned, throwing his arm around the room to illustrate his point. "Scientists always wondered about the actual image that our mind creates when we dream at night. No doubt they've spent years trying to decipher such a key thing in the study of human biology and psychology." Isaac ticked off, confounding the former ghost even further.

"Are you saying that this is our subconscious?" Sarah queried incredulously.

"Yes. It's not much to look at right now, I admit. But when the subject begins to dream during deep sleep and stages of R.E.M, this place transforms and shapes itself to mirror our deepest desires," Isaac conjured a bowl of fruit from thin air and set it down on the table. "Or our darkest fears." Sarah gasped as he laid a dead rat on the space opposite her.

"You're afraid of rats?" she remarked sarcastically.

"It was simply a demonstration of the power of the mind. It really is something to behold, is it not?" Isaac smiled, the tension in the room still lingering in the air.

"Cut to the chase, Isaac. Why am I here?" Isaac sighed and concentrated deeply. In a flash, both the bowl and the rat vanished without a trace before her disbelieving eyes.

"Why?" Isaac plainly said without emotion.

"Why what?" Sarah felt puzzled by this inane line of questioning.

"Why the vendetta against me?"

"Why? WHY!? Let's see here, Isaac. How about the fact that you're a war criminal? How about the fact that you killed people in cold blood, tortured them and caused them grief? How about the fact that you are responsible for the near destruction of your home planet? YOUR HOME, ISAAC!" Sarah slammed her fists on the table, causing the tiny wooden furniture to shudder from the violent force being applied to it. Even amongst all that, Isaac kept a cool, calm level head and merely frowned in frustration.

"What's it to you?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Sarah intoned.

"Yes, I am." Isaac raised his tone slightly.

"You are a sadistic, psychopathic, murderous and homicidal maniac with the intent to kill, slaughter and massacre people just for the heck of it. Why would I not stop you?" Sarah stated angrily, letting her emotions overwhelm her.

"Sigh…." Isaac let out a long, deep sigh. "And how is that any different from you?"

"We're not talking about ME!" Sarah exploded, leaping out her chair and upending the table, leaving nothing between her and the smug delusional bastard sitting before him.

"I would advise you to control your temper, Sarah. Stress like that will kill you one of these days." Isaac shrugged, raising his hands in an 'I don't know' stance.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN!? Give me one good reason why not to chop your own bloody head, right here and now?!"

"Because I intend to show you the errors you refuse to acknowledge." Isaac stepped out of his seat and grabbed Sarah by her shoulder blades.

"Come. Let us leave." The floor below them opened to unending darkness and Sarah realized she was about to relive another memory. As the scene shifted around her, she saw Isaac give her a stern look and clutch her shoulders for dear life. Was he afraid?

Sarah fell down to the ground as her surroundings started to come into focus. Isaac stood above her, motioning to the ghost and beckoning her to follow. Grunting in disapproval, she pulled herself together and brushed dust off her Ghost suit. Still mumbling, she followed into what appeared to be a living room. As she struggled to maintain her grip on the situation, a young boy burst out of the front door.

"Mama? Papa?" the child asked so innocently. His head turned back and forth, looking for any signs of his parents.

"Mama?" his tone insinuated sadness and grief. "Mama? Please wake up. Mama?" The child's tears began to flow as he frantically shook at thin air. Isaac was showing her an incomplete memory but of who? Him? The scene continued to unfold before her very eyes. This time, the child had turned his attention towards his father. Sarah watched as the child repeated the motions on the thin air. This time however, the child looked and sounded more desperate.

"Papa? Mama won't wake up. Papa? Please help Mama….. Papa, please…." The child uncontrollably sobbed as he begged his father. Isaac stood there, emotionless and for all she knew, could have been seeing this scene as nothing more than a clip from his favorite movie. Sarah on the other hand, felt sorry for the young boy's predicament. It was rough, losing your parents. After all, she had lost her own in a car accident. Or at least what she told other people who asked. She knew what it was like to be an orphan. The scene played on. The boy had finally seen the folly in jolting his parents from their state. As his green eyes scanned the room, his eyes laid their sight upon another patch of empty air. The floodgates by then just gushed open, letting loose a steady stream of tears. The boy covered his emerald eyes with his small calloused hands, weeping and crying his heart out.

"What are you showing me, Isaac? What is this? Who is that boy?" Sarah shakily asked. Jolted from seeing such a traumatizing memory, her anger had subsided and was replaced by empathy. Something she sorely lacked the past month if her outburst in the hangar bay was anything to go by. Isaac simply swiveled his head to meet hers.

"In due time, Kerrigan. In due time. Come. We must move on." Isaac said with a dip in his tone. '_So he was affected too. Did it mean something to him? Or is it just his normal reaction?_' As the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head refusing to believe the possibility. '_No, Isaac's a sociopath. He wouldn't have such emotions._' Satisfied with her explanation, she hesitantly followed after Isaac into the next memory.

The scene changed yet again and Sarah found herself staring at a Zerg cocoon. She remembered this all too well. Her 'inception', her 'inauguration' as the Queen of Blades. Turning away, she averted her gaze from the hatching cocoon. As the creature now infamously known as the Queen of Blades took her first few steps out of her shell, she released a shrill scream that pierced the night air. The Zerg forces that once were her sworn enemy, bowed before their new master. Just over the horizon, James Raynor in his power suit gasped and gaped at his love. The marines behind me only saw their fearless leader stop dead in his tracks and gawp at the Zerg stronghold before them. He could only stop and stare at the creature that was once his everything, his second chance at a normal life. It took great restraint to hold back his grief. Sarah found herself muttering to herself.

"Don't look at me, James. Don't look at me." She uttered under her breath, still averting her green orbs from the memory before her.

"This was the beginning. And the end is far from your grasp." Isaac chimed in ominously and walked away, the scene around them already altering to fit the next memory. Wiping tears from her eyes, Sarah made to follow him. How much more would he show her? How long before her heart broke from the guilt, the pain and the untold suffering she wrought upon the Koprulu sector?

The scene unfolded before her and it was unfamiliar to her. This time, she was the creature. Staring from its viewpoint, she watched as her 'talons' reared its ugly head with feelings of euphoric joy and pleasure flooding her senses. Isaac stood by her, no longer grinning and smiling. Instead it was replaced with pain, anguish and sadness. Despite all that, he forced himself not to cry and remained ever strong and emotionless as he possibly could under the circumstances. He only kept a close eye as Sarah tore through the Dominion forces with brutal savagery and brute force. Her yellow eyes brought terror and horror wherever it went, reducing Sarah to a whimpering wreck. One particular incident stood out in her mind as the memory played its story. Near the end of the siege, the Queen of Blades eyed a young couple from the corner of her yellow cat-like eyes, desperately fighting back the horde of Zerg creatures descending down upon them. The woman encouraged her friend on, convincing him to keep on running. Sarah saw her legs sprout weird organic flaps and leapt into the air, landing with a sickening thud in the parking lot in front of them. The car under her feet crumpled into scrap metal. A cry of terror, several rounds fired off in rapid succession and a gasp from the woman as her talon sliced through her partner's shooting arm, severing it completely and they found themselves backed up against a wall, surrounded by the ravenous horde. Putting up a single commanding figure, the closest of the creatures graciously stepped backwards. She felt her alter-ego persona smile with malice and venom as she slowly slinked forward to the couple.

The woman was cradling her lover and tried to console him, embracing each other for what would surely be their final hours. The creature cooed at the show of affection before her and without a second thought, plunged her talon deep into the man's stomach. Cringing in pain, the man's life slowly ebbed away, leaving only an inconsolable woman to grieve as his eyelids closed. She hugged his corpse and continued to sob, awaiting her inevitable fate. And it came crashing down as Sarah Kerrigan watched from the creature's viewpoint as it swiped its talon sideways, beheading the woman in one swift, painless swipe. '_Oh, God. God… Holy..._' Sarah only wept in misery and sorrow. Once again, Isaac had to choose that moment to add his two cents while the blood that poured from the couple was still warm.

"The soul is no better than the body. The first is the second. Neither were ever truly innocent." Isaac darkly replied to Sarah's already taxed mind. His words cut a deep psychological scar across her already dodgy mental state. He was right. Who was she to judge him when she herself was guilty of such heinous atrocities? As the scene faded into black emptiness, Sarah truly wanted the nightmare to stop. The pain to simply blink out and vanish on the spot. What else was Isaac trying to prove?

"What more do you want me to see? You made your point." Sarah pleaded, her tears streaming down her peach-tainted cheeks. Isaac simply gave her a stony outlook and returned to speaking in cryptic words.

"You must see to comprehend. I must see to know why." He plainly explained, exasperating Sarah to no end. On the bright side, now that she was confronted with the horrors committed by her primal side, surely there was nothing more that could haunt her or tear at her heart even further. Right?

"Do not close your eyes. This memory is the one so thoroughly repressed that I had considerable effort in pulling it free from the prison you so unbelievably frequent during your sleeping hours." '_What? This was my memory? Was the first one mine as well?_' Sarah had no time to ponder or even interrogate Isaac about this as the scenery finally gained clarity and focus. The entirety of the walls surrounding them at that moment were covered in the iconic purple organic gunk that the Zerg were quite fond of. Creep as it was named, Isaac recalled. Standing in the middle of the room and sitting atop a throne built from human bones and Zerg creep was the Queen of Blades herself. To her relief, Sarah was no longer an observer from that thing's point of view. Just outside the massive cave complex was a dusty red rock atop an equally dusty red surface, the kind that reminded Isaac of Mars. To Sarah, it signified one thing…..

Char…

"Why are we here? Is this my transformation?" She was surprised when Isaac shook his head and simply motioned for Sarah to continue watching the show. A lone figure stepped out of the shadows, dragged along his bruised and tattered knees and flanked by two Hydralisks. The creature atop her high horse smacked her lips and let her mouth salivate at the prospect of fresh meat. As she walked down the steps leading to the lone figure, Sarah noticed the Queen of Blades's eyes start to dim. One minute, its eyes flickered bright yellow. The second, every blink resulted in a different color, a veritable rainbow of hues and shades. Finally as it left the final stair, the eyes were a bright emerald green. Her eyes….. The creature paused at this moment, taking a single second to gaze longingly at her serrated talons on the tip of her fingers. The lone figure looked on with sheer confusion at this change but he still did not struggle, opting to allow fate to play its hand. Fate chose death for him and it took all of twelve agonizingly long, yet brief seconds before Sarah saw her amalgamation of human and beast stab the figure in the chest, provoking an extended long howl of pain that brought nothing but sick, sadistic pleasure to the creature's eardrums.

The creature towered over the slowly dying man. His last words felt hollow and empty. Yet it resonated deep within her soul as well as Sarah.

"I'm….sorry… I'm… s.. sorry…. I should've…. should've been there. I shouldn't have…have.. let…you…go…." He wheezed lethargically as his eyelids fluttered open and close. His breathing became heavier and every inhalation he took only multiplied the anguish he must have been suffering from. It was no quick death. Sarah sobbed as he watched for five minutes as the creature just stared into his eyes as life slowly drained out of him. Finally, the prolonged suffering was too much for the severely weakened and injured individual, succumbing to his wounds.

"Good… Good.. Goodbye…." He gasped as his eyes snapped open and blinked no more. His emerald eyes peered back at the creature who shared her dazzling irises. To her disgust, the creature regarded nothing new from this incident and left the corpse lying there to rot. As it walked away, Sarah could not help but notice that Isaac's eyes were fixed upon the creature's eyes which remained emerald green.

"What the hell just happened, Isaac?" No answer.

"ANSWER ME, DAMNIT! WHAT DID I JUST SEE?" she screamed.

"What you truly are….." Isaac coldly remarked.

She thought it was over. The nightmare done and dusted away. She thought wrong as Isaac returned her to the first memory, only this time the blurry outlines that once pervaded the previous memory were all but gone, replaced with such crisp detail that she wondered why Isaac didn't just show this in the first place. '_Must be his plan or something._' Sarah intoned in her mind, giving excuses for everything she'd seen so far. As she reentered the room for the second time in a row that day, she doubled over and felt the need to hurl. Succumbing to her 'gut' feeling, she hurled a steady stream of vomit from her mouth, letting it form a liquid-solid-esque puddle under her bent legs. Catching her breath, she stepped up and stood by Isaac, now finally realizing why he had chosen to save this for last.

The same boy now interacted with actual human representations and the images were something not even a adult could bear to stomach, let alone a young child, so innocent and care-free at their age and who saw the world in a different light rather than the hellhole it truly is. The mother was well and truly dead, judging by the absence of her head and the dried blood coating her evening overalls. All that remained of the mother's skull was a neck stump topped off by thick cartilage, a bloody splatter on the wall right behind her and several bone fragments scattered all across the stained carpet. She watched as the boy, none the wiser shook the corpse as best he could, still so naïve in the hope that she was just sleeping. When he turned to his father, Sarah felt a growing sense of familiarity jump in and slide down into her stomach, making her gulp and widen her eyes. The father was by far the worst off among the two victims. His eyes were milky-white and spinning about in their eye sockets, not focusing on a single object in front of him. His face was blank of expression of even emotion and she saw to her great dismay that he was staring off into space, not taking heed of his son shaking him so hard that the boy's arms began to tire. The boy's eyes just streamed a steady flow of inexhaustible tears, his childish mind still unable to comprehend the horror before him.

"Now we come to the masterpiece of this tragedy. A soul so fragmented and lost beyond the words of any sane person. A soul you are most familiar with." Isaac spoke softly into Sarah's ear, placing a heavy emphasis on the word 'familiar'. All it took was one glance in the right direction and Sarah broke apart, her heart shattering upon the very sight. Her own floodgates cracked open and the former ghost ushered a waterfall's worth of sadness, regret, sorrow and guilt onto the floor. Without thinking, she threw herself into the arms of Isaac and wept into his shirt, soaking it without much effort. Isaac gave her a consoling hug and kept the broken soul close to his chest, understanding that pain must be given in order to heal more grievous wounds. As he whisked them away into the comfort of the limitless room, he took one glance at the figure that had brought one of the strongest warriors to her knees.

Sitting down right in the center of the room and stained with the blood of her recent victims was a young three-year old girl with short red hair and bright emerald eyes. And her sibling sat across, only now aware of the true nature of his sister…

Sarah's mind raced through all the pain, all the guilt. None of her previous deeds even measured up to the one she was just confronted with. She couldn't believe it. As she felt Isaac pull away, her voice found the courage to be heard.

"I…I…" she stammered, unable to conjure the words.

"Killed your parents in front of your brother. Forgot him like so much trash in the garbage? Eventually killed him on Char just moments before the assault?" Isaac coldly listed off her crimes.

"I..I…." she still stammered.

"Sigh…. I didn't want to show you. If I had my way, I would have let you go. Let you continue accepting fate as it is. Accepting the lie. I chose not to." Isaac tried to explain.

"Why?" she whispered loudly enough for Isaac to hear. Isaac turned away, his back towards her limp form.

"So you understand what you are."

"I… I… It was the creature's fault.. I… didn't…." '_There she goes again, making more excuses to cover her own skin. That or to deny the harsh reality._' Isaac balled his fists in rage. If there was one thing Isaac hated above all things, it was people who believed themselves pure and clean of any wrongdoing, the kind of people who think their actions are justified in the eyes of the many. The ones who see themselves as 'heroes'…..

"Did you not see the creature's eyes? They were green, Sarah. EMERALD-FREAKING GREEN!" Isaac shouted at the whimpering ghost, his self-restraint boiled over by emotion.

"I…I… I'm so sorry, brother. I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

"DIDN'T MEAN TO WHAT?! EXECUTE HIM!? KILL HIM LIKE A WASTE OF SPACE?!" Isaac bellowed.

"I didn't… I didn't know…"

"You knew, Kerrigan! The creature was not in control there. It saw the bond between you two. It knew to give you the satisfaction rather than take it for its own. Deny it all you want, Sarah. It doesn't change the fact that he's dead because of you."

"What… was… the… point of showing me… this?" she meekly replied, drying her tears with a conjured handkerchief.

"To make you understand the simple truth of the matter. You and I, we're no more different than the people who inhabit this sector." She whimpered slightly at this.

"I've always to you bang on about vengeance, about making things right by killing Arcturus, yet failing to grasp the idea that you were the cause of all of this!"

"I…don't… I don't follow…"

"You killed his father! His mother! His sister. You cut off his bloody head! Do you remember that?! Huh, Kerrigan?" Isaac was on a roll and his anger was barely sated. Kerrigan dropped her head down in shame and regret.

"You keep saying you want redemption for the deaths you've caused as the Queen of Blades, yet you do not give two shits for even one f %#ing second about the people who died when you were a ghost?! How about them?! Did the 6 billion people take precendence?!" Still no reply echoed from the usually chipper ghost.

"God, I don't even know why you think I'm some sort of monster when you need only look in the damn f %&ing mirror to see one for yourself. I mean, talk about double standards."

"What do you want to do or say?"

"What I want? What I want?! How about you start with excising this lame excuse of yours for vengeance. You know why? Because you're so f^#*ing blind to the fact that Arcturus launched this crusade against for that very reason."

"I…I…"

"You know what you are, Kerrigan? A sad pathetic excuse of a human being who thinks that she's justified in her feelings towards Mengsk. Guess what, lady? You live in a glass hole so far up your behind that you didn't even consider that you are EXACTLY like him!" Isaac just let loose with everything at his disposal, not relenting for a moment.

"So now I ask why?"

"What….?" Sarah moaned in sorrow. "What more do you want from me?"

"I want to know why me? Why this vendetta against me?"

"I…I…" she stammered a third time. Isaac just went over the edge at this.

"Fine! Don't answer me!" Isaac stormed from the table, leaving a stunned Sarah in her chair. "I hope you're happy with yourself, Sarah. Not only are you guilty of killing 6 billion people, you are also responsible for the death of your own family and the sole reason you became the Queen of Blades and launched Mengsk into the role of a tyrannical dictator! Have fun dealing with that!" And with that, Isaac ceased his communications with Kerrigan and she remained alone in that empty room as her mind pondered Isaac's words.

'_He's right…. I did this… all of this…_' the only thought her mind seemed capable of producing in the heat of the moment. Isaac was right on all accounts. Her parents' death while accidental was entirely her fault. Her mother at least died quickly and was to her mind the least painful of her crimes. Her father on the other hand was premeditated. She had killed him by herself. Her first true kill. It frightened her how blind she had been to her own crimes. As she went down the list, the mass slaughter of 6 billion people she didn't know felt pretty low at this point. As her mind wandered to the Mengsk mission, she realized the implications of said incident. Arcturus had probably heard of the news of his family's death. In one swift move, Kerrigan had but destroyed a family. Even if she were to justify it by claiming it to be under the Conferederacy's orders, she still knew Arcturus' pain. Even as she replayed the conversation where he 'forgave' her, it did not ease the guilt of bringing to life one of the most feared dictators the sector's ever known. And if that were true, then his actions in betraying her was exactly the outcome she deserved. She turned herself into the monster she became. Arcturus merely pushed her along. Finally, the encounter with her long-lost brother. Isaac's words had cut a deep gash into her heart. Had she really been in control when she met him? Had she really relished plunging her talon into his heart and watching him slowly ebb away? As every incident weighed heavily on her, she realized that her plan for vengeance was unquestionably pointless. All she would accomplish would be killing a man whose actions she set into motion and turning herself into the very person she swore to kill. All of this…. All this made her feel unworthy of living, not worth any form of redemption. As she bowed her head and felt the dark tendrils ready themselves to pull her back to reality, she did only one thing…

She let herself go and let the tears flow and flow…

**Well, that was fun. While I like the characters as is right now, I certainly didn't like the outlook most games have on protagonists. That of their justification of their murders while demonizing other people in the same position. In fact, they even get rewarded for it. Rewarded….. Jeez…. Anyway, I did promise a Raynor flashback before so I'll probably split my finale in two to accommodate that. Until then though, please review and send any story ideas for this fic to me. As I always say, have fun and be CO-OPERATIVE!**


	8. Three Minds

**Chapter 7 : Three Minds**

**A/N: This chapter's gonna be all about laying down the motivations of each main character into a nice straight line and knocking them all down. Basically I'm just explaining some motivations and stuff I didn't get down to earlier. This might make the story feel disconnected but bear with me. Also this one will be shorter than my previous entries. Exams and all….. So without further ado…**

"Sarah! Wake up, we're here." James spoke in a hushed tone as he shook her like a piñata, hoping to get his sweet candy from its sleepy grasp. Her eyes flickered twice, giving her love a glimpse into her emerald windows. What he saw relieved him and terrified Sarah.

"What's going on? What's happening?" she asked frantically, springing from her seat and grabbing James accidentally by his shirt. James, startled by this reaction was instantly taken aback.

"Nothing… Could you please let me go? I am a bit attached to my extremities." James raised his hands and tried to act aloof even as his insides started to churn. This situation was reminding him a bit too much about Korhal. How the memories still haunted so many years after. Kerrigan slackened her grip and he dropped to the ground, clutching his neck as a slight bruise began to form on him. Looking up, he could see Sarah breathing heavily and staring blankly at her own extremities. James could not help but ask.

"Are you okay, Sarah? You seem a little off." Sarah jolted backwards at his query. '_Should I tell him? No, get a grip on yourself, girl. How are you supposed to tell him anyway? Oh, Jim. I just realized that I killed my brother back on Char and saw myself kill my family. Even better, Isaac is apparently alive. And he can also read my mind. That'll go over sooooo well…_' Sarah clenched her teeth shut and made to get up, uttering only a short phrase.

"I'm fine." She said with finality, hinting at her uneasiness with the subject. James got the message and brooded over it no longer.

"Alright. Alright. Just making sure." And he stepped out of her way as the dropship touched down on solid ground and Sarah stepped to the back of the ship. James looked back at Sarah and his mind fell into deep thought which persisted even as they were escorted through the hangar bay by unfamiliar soldiers wielding weapons he'd never seen before and wearing suits of white and gold with a phoenix emblazoned on their armguards. His eyes ignored the sheer audacity of these people, decorating a ship that's prepped for war and in all likelihood, be lost to it within moments. His ears never went to the whispers of the crew, giving his own a wary glance and mumbled words barely audible. His mind ignored all this and more, instead more concerned about focusing on the questions and the nagging issues still burning in his subconscious' backburner.

First one… Had he really forgiven Kerrigan? To Raynor, it sounded like the easiest one to comment on. In reality, it wasn't. On the one hand, Sarah had done some terrible things during her reign as the Queen of Blades. In those four intervening years, she had in order slaughtered nearly half the UED, killed his best friend, the praetor Fenix, brainwashed Razagal, a matriarch of the Dark Templars no less to the brink of total submission, betrayed him and his men and has caused the death of 6 billion people all over the Koprulu sector. That's a long list and he hasn't even begun to list the crimes she's committed against the Protoss, especially Zeratul. The thought of the brooding dark templar sent his mind wandering to his other Protoss friend. '_I wonder where Fenix is now. He's probably lost in their form of heaven somewhere no doubt._' A low chuckled escaped his mouth. Fenix was a good friend, a loyal comrade and someone you knew you could rely on. All that was worth nothing when he watched him get torn apart by Kerrigan back on Korhal. God, the memory of her talon driving itself so far up into him was enough to make his anger boil to uncomfortable levels. Even so, his rage dissipated when he caught another glimpse of her beautiful form. Still, he had his doubts. How had he forgiven her so easily? In just several days, he had been all but convinced of her good nature. Was it because he felt sympathetic to her plight? Was it because he believed in second chances? Was it something else? Or had he turned a blind eye because she was a weapon to use against Mengsk? His mind answered that question for him. '_Of course not, you brain-dead imbecile. It's because you love her, that's why…_' And the more he thought of it, the more it made sense. It didn't matter what she did or even what happened in the past. What mattered was that he had her back at last in his arms and may God have mercy on anyone who got between them. Startled at his conviction, he turned his attention to more pressing thoughts.

So what did he want? That was also easy. A life away from all this. A life with Kerrigan by his side and a home on Mar Sara. Just like Lydia and John had been to him a long time ago. As he wanted to continue with that train of thought, a guilty feeling arose and took the form of his once beloved.

"How could you do this to me, Jim?" It asked.

"What are you talking about?" His mind mentally lashed out.

"You liked it, didn't you? How does it feel?" the ghost of his dead wife retorted, her eyes burning from pure anger. James stood there facing her, flabbergasted at her behavior.

"I don't know what you're…"

"DON'T LIE TO ME, JIM! We both know you wanted us dead so you could run off to your fresh new crumpet. I wonder when you started seeing her. Was it after me?"

"You're not making any sense. I didn't know her back then."

"Why do I feel like a second fiddle, then? You haven't mourned me enough."

"You can't expect me to mourn you forever. That's insane." James weakly replied, still reeling from the mere fact that his wife was standing right there before him.

"Till the end of time itself. Do you not remember our vows?"

"How does that….."

"You SWORE to love me even in death. Well, here I am and I don't feel particularly loved any longer!" Lydia cried out in sheer frustration.

"I…I…"

"Goodbye, James Raynor! I hope you and your whore are happy with each other!" And with a final harrumph, she vanished into the ether leaving behind a puzzled James. That conversation was both nerve-wracking and befuddling at the same time. '_What nonsense was she babbling about? I've known Lydia for so long and not once have I heard her act so incoherently._' Then realization struck him on the head and he clutched it quickly like a fish welcomes water. '_It's my guilt. I… I… must be still recovering from her death. But it's been so long…_' His mind trailed off. Lydia would always be his first. No matter what, she came first. Yet, the thought of replacing her so easily and so suddenly made James cringe in guilt. Yes, he should mourn her. But doesn't he deserve to move on? Isn't that why he bonded with Kerrigan in the first place? James finally came to understand his own words to Matt back after the New Flotsam prison escape. '_This world ain't made for the likes of us_.' He was correct. This new world had no place for one such as him and he had only one purpose. Kill Mengsk. Adding to that list felt like a dream to the grizzled veteran, something audaciously unbelievable that he himself wouldn't believe it. '_Maybe Kerrigan's another reason to keep going. Another reason to keep living for tomorrow_.' And that thought cheered the man to no end.

Yet the thought waned and lasted just as long before rage began to surge forth, fester and boil at his new agenda, Isaac Eisenhower. In just the span of a month, the stranger had not only managed to push every last one of his buttons, he single-handedly engineered the events James, Kerrigan and the rest of the Hyperion's crew found themselves in now. In a way, he was happy that the bastard was dead. At least he couldn't lay a finger on Sarah again. But something else drove his crusade against the unknown stranger. Whether suspicion, anger or perhaps even jealousy, he will never know. Any hope of answering that question died with Isaac Eisenhower in that flaming wreckage. For now at least, he was content to bask in the moment, have his love close and see where this road takes them.

Little did he know or notice, Sarah too was deep in thought. However her questions centered more on the dreams that Isaac showed her or rather forcibly dredged up from her mind to torture her with. As the memories started to imbed themselves into her skull, she let loose an earth-shattering scream within the confines of her own damaged psyche. As the noise began to die down, her ponderings came racing back. '_I…I…. killed… my… my… God…._' By that thought alone, Sarah knew she was lost for words. Barely minutes ago, she had at last finally learned the devastating truth behind her true nature. Her brother's body lies silent on Char, left there by her own hands. Not the Queen of Blades as she had come to expect, her own mind and nothing else. She couldn't pull off the usual excuse or even try to redeem herself. This was one act there was no coming back from. '_I murdered him. There. I said it._' Her eyes began to weep and took great effort on her part not to show it to anyone else.

'_I wish I knew what he was like. What he loved to do. What his dreams were. Whether or not he had found that special someone._' Her mind raced across every avenue of queries she could muster and with each question came the answer she dreaded repeating. '_But I killed him, so I'll never know._' It was disheartening really to be together with the most amazing soul she ever knew and feel so happy and accepted when deep in her heart, her soul remained alone, sitting in a dark corner and weeping at her own mistakes. She had killed the one soul that still loved her aside from Raynor. And it had been her fault. '_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._' She kept repeating over and over, hoping to punish herself for her deeds. But something else held her back, keeping her warm and giving her comfort.

The thought of Raynor by her side put a wide smile on his face. She still possessed something worth fighting for at least. She'll always keep a place in her heart for the family she will never know. '_Perhaps someday when this is over, I'll go back. For him. It's better than letting him rot in a cave of decay and death_.' Her fists balled at her side, her mind resolved to ease the injustice she had wrought. One way or another, she would do right by everyone. She would do anything for the happy ending with the love of her life. She'd do anything. Her guilt assuaged for the time being, she shook herself from her fantasy land and marched forth with her comrades, eager to thank their saviors.

Isaac Eisenhower gasped as a breath of fresh air rejuvenated his nerves, incidentally causing more agonizing pain to shoot up his left leg. Hobbling forward, his mind raced along his dreams and visions, blocking the voice of his brother momentarily. What was that dream? Was it the future? Am I destined to do something wrong? '_No, you're not destined to do something wrong. You've already done that. You're probably gonna f#% things up in the future though_.' He corrected himself. Sighing, he leaned against a beam for support, taking a long deep breath as his eyes scanned the junction of hallways. '_The moment had passed. She didn't say any of the words I heard. What then was I dreaming of?_' He found himself puzzling over. Isaac was no stranger to dreams. It was the bane of existence for several years and it nearly drove him insane. Then again, he was quite bat-shit crazy before that so it really was no different. But the dream haunted him nonetheless.

His mind turned to his recent actions, that of showing Sarah the true nature of herself. '_What was the point?_' he thought. Perhaps it was his way in highlighting his own shortcomings to himself and it bothered him. Sarah was already a broken woman by the time he got here. Showing her more of her crimes probably sent her over the deep end. Nevertheless, Isaac grew more and more disconcerted by the fact that they were coming to the Scarsion. '_Archer's up to something. I just know it._' He told himself repeatedly to no avail in relieving his strained heart and soul. When he had set out with his goal in mind, Isaac swore he would never involve another soul in his hare-brained attempts. Fate always played this cruel game on him. Just like the many, many times Isaac has tried in the past to commit suicide. Still, fate wanted this to play out like this. Who was he to defy her further?

"Hey, brother." He absent-mindedly asked.

"**What is it, Isaac?"** came the voice, irritated and annoyed at his interruption.

"Is there any way to remove the stain on my heart?"

"**That a rhetorical question?"**

"No, an actual question this time."

"**Do not ask the dead for advice. More than likely, you'll end up in the same shallow grave I'm in now. Trust me."**

"I have no-one else left."

"**Look, brother. You made your decision back home. Now you must die with it. There's no escaping that**."

"I know. I just wish I wasn't alone, you know."

"**I'll be here. But I can't be your friend. We're beyond that now."** The voice slunk away and Isaac frowned.

"Yes, I guess we are." And Isaac pushed onwards into the future that awaited him…

**Okay. Okay. Before everyone says something along the lines of 'Why is this chapter shit?' or something like that, let me say that this is the most disconnected, disjointed and broken pile of garbage I've ever written thus far. The only reason I wrote this was to explain the motivations of each character before I got to cracking down on my finale. So to that end if the story didn't make sense, I'll give a quick rundown of each main character after this message. Please review and like, see ya soon.**

**James Raynor : For this character, I wanted to create a man who's relatively stable as far as Sarah and Isaac goes. His problems mainly stem from his residual mistrust in Kerrigan's actions, the toll of constant fighting and his relationship with Sarah. His motivations are to have a future with Kerrigan, rebuild the family he lost and retire from this conflict. Aside from that, he'll do anything to ensure her safety and ensure he does not lose her again. On that note, he still feels guilty in some respect for moving on from his wife, Lydia and this shows that while he loves Kerrigan beyond a shadow of doubt, he still misses his family. Speaking of conflict, James is in conflict with Isaac because he's the only one aside from him who has penetrated the mindset of Sarah, albeit through more forceful means. He hates his guts due to the threat he represents to Sarah and his future with her. Maybe a hint of jealously thrown for good measure and Isaac better watch out.**

**Sarah Kerrigan : Guilt, guilt and more guilt. What more can I say? Alright, alright. This character is basically the same character you may see in other fanfics. You've got the guilt complex in which she feels responsible for the tragedies she's caused over the past four years. This is further exacerbated by the revelation that she killed her only remaining flesh and blood just moments before her 'rebirth' not even mentioning that said murder was done under her influence, not the Queen of Blades. On the other hand, she's also looking to have a better future with Raynor and she attempts to right her wrongs so she has a second chance at a normal life. She's broken, yes but she makes up for her mistakes by redeeming her good name and helping James at any given opportunity. So, her motivation in my fic at least is to feel guilty for her crimes but realize that she can redeem herself and build a better future for both her and James. Again, this bodes ill for Isaac.**

**Isaac Eisenhower : Now we come to the centerpiece of my fic. I've always dreamed of writing this character but haven't had the guts to do so. I write guilty characters quite well and Isaac's no exception. Not only does he have a shady, tormented and brutal past, his decisions and choices from back then still haunt him to the present day to the point of insanity. Aside from that, he's the complete opposite of James and Sarah. He's alone, always has been ever since his last attempts at connecting with others ended in tragedy and misery. Since then, he's trying to seek a connection but also actively avoids it, afraid of being hurt or hurting someone else. Another thing that separates Isaac from Sarah is that while Sarah does her deeds in an attempt to redeem herself and absolve herself of her sins, Isaac does it because he has nothing left worth living for. He gives a damn about the fate of others but cannot come to forgive himself for his crimes. Thus, his motivations come down to saving the world and doing it because he feels guilty and that maybe the end of his journey will grant him release from his torment.**

**Well, I tried. If you understand, let me know. If not, let me know anyway and I'll do my best to explain. Bye now and wish me luck for my exams…..**


	9. Amidst The Crossroads

**Chapter 8 : Amidst The Crossroads**

**This is finally it. The ending to this fanfic not counting the epilogue I'll do to finalize it. It's been fun writing for the fic and to be honest I hope to hone my skills and perhaps write a separate fic for Starcraft in the future. For now though, let us conclude this journey. Also because there are so little reviews for this…**

"Mr. Raynor, Ms. Kerrigan. I welcome you aboard my most cherished vessel." Archer Holden spoke with pride as he threw his arm around to allow the bedazzled crew of the Hyperion a glimpse into his majestic warship. To say they were awestruck by the sheer look of it was putting it mildly. The walls were not the sheet metal and rust they had come to expect from natural ships. Instead, they went for a clear cut white and gold palette across the board and every 100 feet of so had the signature golden phoenix looking back proudly upon their bewildered faces. The people that populated these halls were no different, clad in full white and gold armor and wielding weapons none of them had ever seen No, whoever these people were, they looked more like a private military company than an actual force of war.

"I can see that our vessel is amenable to you. I'm pleased." Holden replied warmly, seeing the look plastered upon their delirious faces.

"Who are you people? What are you exactly?" Sarah finally gasped out, breaking loose from her trance. Holden gave a warm smile to the befuddled redhead and waved a finger at a grayish-white door emblazoned with the familiar logo, beckoning them to follow. James, Sarah and Matt deigned to follow while Ariel had other plans.

"You guys go on ahead. I'd like to explore this wondrous ship. If our host would acquiesce to my request…" Ariel trailed off, hoping to receive a favorable answer.

"Of course, Miss Hanson. Our ship is always open to guests. I'll see to it that an escort is present to show you around." Holden grinned at the pleased doctor. "Terrence!" he bellowed out loud, bringing a male of African-American descent barreling through the doors behind them.

"Did you call me, Father?" He stated plainly with obedience. Sarah immediately drew concern from her well of emotion. '_Father? Is this guy Terrence's father?_' she questioned to herself. Archer, seeing her worried look and as if he read her mind, answered her query.

"Terrence is an orphan. He lost both his parents a long time ago and I've taken it upon myself to care for him. As indeed I have for many of my people here on this ship." Holden regretfully explained while inconspicuously giving Terrence a wary glare, no doubt expressing a silent warning. Terrence got the hint.

"Yes, this man gave me a second chance at life. I am honored to serve him in his noble quest." Terrence proudly stated, bringing a small smile to Archer's face. Sarah still looked doubtful but a quick nudge on the shoulder from James prompted her to swiftly halt her line of questioning. Terrence merely nodded as Archer slowly explained his new task and obediently trailed behind Ariel as she sauntered past the group of four, disappearing behind a corner.

"Well, then. Shall we continue to the captain's quarters?" And with that, Archer led his three charges through the doors and into his own personal space…

An entire section away, Isaac Eisenhower wiped a fresh trickle of warm red liquid from his forehead as his feet finally cleared the abandoned deck and into a more populated section of the vast ship. His ears pounded with incoherent sounds, amplified only by the throbbing in his temple. His vision was no better, the outlines of several objects blurring together into a jumbled mess of wavy lines and grainy colors. Even the edges of it were hazy, dotted only by encroaching darkness that steadily grew worse with each agonizing step forward. Isaac Eisenhower was slowly wasting away and there was nothing he could do.

"**Come on, get up! You must keep going!"** egged the omnipresent voice inside his head, eliciting a low groan from the wounded fighter.

"I'm f#^ ing dying here and you're asking me to waste away in pain?!" Isaac retorted mockingly, grimacing as his nerves struck pain nirvana, bringing the man to his knees in a dim hallway.

"**I have not assisted you this far for you to just give up and die. Get up!" **The voice raised his tone and berated his vessel, once again motivating Isaac further by one desperate drag across the floor until his breath started to hitch up again.

"Go slink back into your hole, brother. I'm the one in control here. Not you!" Isaac was at the breaking point. He could feel his senses dulling and the pain starting to ebb away. Gripping his side, his hand felt moist and wet which immediately alarmed him. Pulling it away and bringing it closer to his now sapphire blue eyes, he saw to his shocking delight that he had drawn blood. '_This is it. I'm about to die. For real this time. I would've preferred to die back home but I'll take it. Suck on that, fate!_' He victoriously screamed as he thrust the mental equivalent of a middle finger up at whatever power saw fit to keep him alive. Isaac Eisenhower was dying and at last, nothing could save him now. No guards to nurse to health. No allies to show up out of left field and save the day. No lucky breaks. This was dying, plain and simple and Isaac had his sights set on the light.

"**Don't you dare walk away from your duty, Isaac! You're not done. Not by a longshot."** The voice tugged at his consciousness, despairing clinging onto the fading soul whose body he occupied.

"It's over, brother. I'm done." Isaac panted out in between long, hard breaths of air. The voice cursed and hissed, trying to keep his charge away from his suicidal tendencies. And that's when inspiration struck him like a bolt of lightning onto Benjamin Franklin's kite.

"**And what about them?"** The voice coolly asked eliciting the intended response upon Isaac's disheveled face. Instantly, the once cheerful smile turned upside down into a sneering frown. Isaac propped himself against the wall, unaware of hushed whispers just beyond his hallway. He did not even take heed of the trail of blood left in his wake, a clear indicator of his presence upon his foe's flagship.

"What about them?" Isaac mentally accused.

"**They will not be protected any longer. You are their last guardian. Their LAST hope in overcoming the end that nears us. Would you allow them to perish in the end times? Or will you stay and fight?"** Isaac could do little but grimace at the voice's words, all which were ultimately true. The voice continued.

"**And what of your new 'friends'? Would you surrender them to the arms of death or shall you deliver them into salvation?"** The voice knew by now that he had Isaac right where he wanted him. Isaac did little to resist his words echoing in his ears.

"**They will die at their hands. Another casualty of a mistake made so long ago. Shall you condemn them to such a fate?" **The voice echoed, twisting the emotional knife deeper. Isaac's eyes began to flutter and shutter, just as the footsteps edged closer and he could feel two pairs of eyes gazing upon his limp form.

"Hey, who are you?" spoke a guard clad in the distinct armor of the White Phoenix as he stared down at the unmoving lump of meat slumped against the wall, a pool of blood steadily staining the once pristine halls of the ship. His fellow comrade-in-arms tapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Genius. The guy's dead. I don't think he can hear you." His friend chuckled, making the fellow guard turn on him.

"Thanks for the enlightening info, Captain Obvious." He wittily remarked.

"Well, sorry for…." And that was as far as he got before the figure stepped up to the plate and twisted his outreached arms at the guard, snapping his neck in one clean motion. Hastily pulling his rifle from its sling as the body of his comrade slumped forward, he fared no better as the figure lunged forward, swinging his fist into his exposed stomach. This caused the guard to double over in loss of breath and a final blow to the head from Isaac rendered him unconscious. Isaac watched upon the carnage for a split second, wiping blood from his lips. Sighing heavily, he looted the bodies clean and relieved them of their belongings. Pulling back on the mechanism, he spoke to the voice in his head.

"You wanted me to live?" The voice could only silently observe as the mechanism clicked back with satisfaction.

"Let's hope we don't live for you to regret it." With that, Isaac Eisenhower set off down the hallway at a glacial pace, ready for anything they sent his way. For them. Especially her. Only for her.

Meanwhile, James, Sarah and Matt were being treated like royalty as their host poured another round of fine champagne into their ready glasses. A toast and a cheer later, the four of them were seated around a digital map of their current location. On the map was the ship itself, a massive metal construct the likes of which neither James, Sarah or Matt ever fathomed possible. The engineers of the Scarsion clearly went to the school of 'Bigger is better' for engineering. Not only was the ship supersized, so too were the armaments. Massive siege cannons rivaling that of Yamato cannons dotted the sides of the warship and that itself wasn't the main armament. Rows upon rows of missile tubes also flanked each pair of siege cannons. Accompanying this was a vast array of 150mm AA guns dotting the underside of the vessel, making it a force to be reckoned as well as a hard target to boot. The star of the show however went to the pair of experimental ionic-plasma mass accelerators on the front, the capacity of destruction at their fingertips insurmountable in scope. To the three, this ship was no laughing matter.

"This ship is incredible." James complimented to Archer.

"Thank you for the compliment. It is good to be in the company of people who can appreciate the beauty and the workings of such fine steel." Archer prided as he let his hand glide over the wall behind him as if the ship itself was his own child.

"I can see that you put a lot of effort into its construction."

"I have. But credit goes where it's due. My men are the ones who made this possible. After all, we have a dangerous task ahead of us." Archer grimly stated, piquing the trio's interest.

"What exactly is that task you speak of?" Holden sighed and brought up a picture of a man who was all too familiar with the trio. Their nightmare was staring right back at them, taunting them.

"I had hoped that I could have found him sooner but it seems he found you first."

"Were you the ones who contacted us?" Raynor warily asked, his trigger finger already itching to pull his firearm from its holster. Holden raised a hand to ensure silence.

"I had not intended to kill you. Unfortunately, my cohort had disobeyed my terms and I decided there and then to terminate my contract. I apologize in advance for any inconveniences." Archer tried to placate Raynor but to no avail. Surprisingly, it was Sarah who returned the salvo.

"Inconveniences?! We could have died out there! Why should we listen to a damn word you say?!" Sarah broke out in a sweat, clearly on the brink of attempting something desperate. Archer cleared his throat before resuming the conversation, replicating the earlier gesture for silence.

"As I've said, I merely wished to 'remove' Mr. Eisenhower from you custody as painlessly as possible. Obviously, this got out of hand and I deeply apologize for that. However, you can rest assured that I will deal with this issue immediately."

"Fine… For the moment. But if I so much as catch a whiff of deception, I'm taking my men and leaving." James thinly threathened to Archer. Holden calmly replied in response.

"I will not keep you prisoner. You are free to go if you so desire. However, I implore you to stay with us and aid us in combating this menace to life as we know it. I'm asking for your help here." Archer looked on the verge of downright begging and James found it curious.

"Why? What's so special about Isaac Eisenhower?" James queried. A puzzled look and a raised eyebrow from Holden sent the message that James asked a stupid question, at least to him.

"You don't know? You were not informed?" Archer queried, shocked that news of his atrocities have not been made public information.

"Informed of what?"

"Of what Isaac Eisenhower truly is…" And with that, Archer closed the galaxy map and brought up a digital folder stuffed to the brim with files and pictures. As each piece of evidence passed their disbelieving eyes, their emotions followed suit. Once filled with disgust at him, it was now replaced with pure horror and anger at the mass murderer who rivaled Sarah herself on the scale of destruction he had wrought. As Holden explained, Sarah grew more and more incensed at Isaac. '_How could he do this? What kind of psychopath does…this?'_ Her thoughts punctuated as a picture of a slaughtered family zoomed by her feeling green irises. Another file plainly stated that Isaac had executed a wounded soldier even after the fact that he only had a minor injury on his left leg. Yet another frame depicted a gruesome scene in which a child's head was completely blasted apart by a powerful shot till brain matter smeared the walls of the once pristine home. The more the trio saw, the more they were convinced of the validity of their host's claims.

"You see, I have been hunting this 'monster' for the better part of a year. Many of the people who you see here today have lost something to him. Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Isaac Eisenhower has taken so much from us. All we want is for him to be brought to justice, just like you." Archer explained to them as he closed the file, reeling them in on a hook made from sympathy and falsified truths. But Sarah was no longer listening. Instead, she decided to settle her feelings on the matter her own way. With that in mind, she reached out to the subject himself through her subconscious and received a startled reply in her mind. As she mentally projected the scene, the mental equivalent of Isaac sat cross-legged across her in a wooden chair, glaring at her with bloodshot blue eyes and a pale-white complex. Isaac's arms were folded across one another, indicating his displeasure at the interruption.

"What is it, Sarah Kerrigan?" Isaac retorted at her summons.

"You know what this is about." Sarah stated matter-of-factly.

"I do not know what you're talking about."

"You do."

"So tell me then, what pray tell do I know? Tell me, Miss Kerrigan."

"You killed them."

"I beg your pardon?" Isaac perked his ear, both intrigued and mocking the redhead at the same time.

"You murdered innocent people on your home planet. You… slaughtered them in the name of fun. You massacred them at your own whim. Like it was some sick game to you."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." warned Isaac with boiling anger racing down his throat. Sarah paid no heed to this development and proceeded.

"You said earlier in my mind that we're alike. That we were both cut from the same skin. That there was nothing to separate us from each other."

"We are." Isaac countered.

"No, we are not. We never were." Sarah stated with authority.

"Please explain to me your 'revelation' then…" Isaac mocked with a sneering frown.

"I killed not because I loved the thrill of the slaughter but because I was forced to or ordered to. I have never once murdered anyone who I didn't believe deserved it when I was a ghost for the Conferederacy. Only when that 'thing' took over did that change. But you? You kill just for the heck of it. You find it amusing that people die. Don't you?" Sarah explained, eliciting a low-pitch snarl from the wounded man. He reached across the space between them and with pure unadulterated rage, pulled the fearless redhead closer to him, staring her down with his bloodshot eyes.

"You listen to me, Miss Kerrigan. Don't presume to know me. You know nothing of me. You understand. You have no idea what you're interfering in." Isaac gave a thinly veiled warning which inevitably flew over the psionic's head. Releasing his grip on Sarah, he was more surprised at the ghost's insistence of her idea of his personality.

"Oh, but I've seen the things you've done. The White Phoenix showed us." Isaac paled at the mention of the organization. "Did you think to lie to us about your past, Isaac? It's all out in the open." Sarah persisted, rendering the once mighty man into a mass of gibbering clutter.

"I've seen how sick you are. What you've done. Not even as the Queen of Blades have I committed such atrocities. We're nothing alike." Isaac remained silent.

"You've taken so much from your people. Now Jim and I will put an end to your reign of terror, with the help of the people whose lives you destroyed. It ends here, Isaac. No more will you live to ruin other people's lives." Sarah proclaimed. However, Isaac didn't cower or whimper in fear. Quite the opposite, he laughed like a hyena on ecstasy. Sarah did not look the slightest bit bemused.

"What's so funny?"

"You truly believed Archer Holden? Archer 'Idiotic Twitbag' Holden? Hah! That's downright hilarious!" Isaac doubled over in a fit of laughter, barely clinging on to any semblance of sanity he had left.

"Why not? He's told us the truth. That's more than I can say for you."

"You're…You're serious." Isaac's tone hinted at his utter bewilderment at Sarah's proclamation.

"I am." And Isaac's somber tone plummeted and was replaced by pure shock, followed shortly by a furrowed brow and a look of pure desperation plastered onto his face.

"You can't be serious. No. No. No…. No…"

"You're done, Isaac. You're finished."

"No, I'm not. Not yet. Listen to me and listen good… Whatever you do, do not listen to Archer Holden. You have no idea who he is."

"I know exactly who is. He's a man who's lost too much to your ways and has now dedicated himself to hunting you down. He's an honorable man doing a noble deed. That's who he is." Sarah listed off, like a monotone checklist.

"What's that based on? The first 20 minutes since you knew the guy?" Isaac questioned, hoping to drive some logic into her thick skull.

"I knew you longer and look how that turned out!" Sarah furiously replied, slamming her fist down upon her armrest. Isaac looked deadly serious now and his tone of voice reflected that. The next few words chilled Sarah right down to the bone.

"Well, if you insist on such a pitiful course of action. I will not try to stop you. However, we are now at a crossroads of interests. Whatever happens next, whatever occurs after this conversation, know this. It will not be my fault. It'll be your own." Isaac darkly warned the girl, his final shot at making her see reason.

"Then this is where we part ways, Isaac. The next time we meet, it'll be to the death. I will stop you. Count on it." She promised to the disbelieving soul. And she turned her back towards him, walking away in the opposite direction. Isaac, sensing the desperation in his throat resorted to the one thing that he knew would draw her attention without fail.

"What about Angus Mengsk, huh?" Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. "What about his family?" Sarah spun around to face Isaac. "What about your brother, Sarah? How about them?" The final nail dug itself deep into her heart, piercing her soul. Her resolve however remained steely and she plainly answered to his question.

"A pittance compared to you…" And with that, she severed the mental connection. However, her mind remained in her own fantasy land, contemplating her true sins. '_He's somewhat right. There's no running from the fact. I made him who he is today. He's no more responsible for my transformation than I was_.' She found herself thinking. Arcturus Mengsk never set out to be a dictator nor did he want to harm her so badly. But Sarah had chalked it up to following orders and in a split second, she had taken away from him his loving family. If nothing else, Sarah found she could no longer blame Mengsk for his crimes. He was just another soul shattered by the wheels of fate. He deserved as much of a second chance as she had right now with Jim. She owed him that much.

Family…. That brought the memory of her brutal slaughter of her own flesh and blood racing back into her brain, causing it to throb incessantly. Isaac was yet again correct in this matter. No amount of redemption would remove that particular stain. It would haunt her till the end of her days and remain an integral part of her. There and then, she made an oath that she hoped would partially absolve her of her guilt. '_Brother, I'm so sorry. You've no idea how I much regret what I've done_.' She sobbed as her mind went to work. '_I wish I hadn't been born. Maybe you, Mommy and Daddy could have been happy without me. I wish it was me lying in an unmarked grave rather than you. I wish I had gotten the chance to know you better._' She pressed her balled fist to her chest, proclaiming loudly in her subconscious her vows. '_I promise. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain. I'll stop him. I'll stop Isaac Eisenhower from harming anymore innocent souls. I'll stop the monster I once used to be. This I promise you brother._' Sarah had made an oath, a vow to hunt another monster that once resembled her. Perhaps this way, she thought, she would earn the right to have a life together with the man she loved. This was her one chance to make things right. And she wasn't about to screw it up…..

Sarah clocked back into the land of the living just in time to overhear James and Archer discussing the terms of an arrangement between the two leaders. Both of them were hunched over a layout of the main ship and James was arguing with Holden. By the sounds of it, thought Sarah, it can't be anything good.

"How the hell did this happen?" shouted James to Holden as he hurriedly passed out orders through the PA system with sweaty palms.

"You tell me. My boys reported an incident involving an airship crashing against one of the abandoned decks. Care to explain?" Archer sarcastically replied, sending pangs of shame onto James' cheeks. Sarah stifled a chuckle as she rolled up her sleeves and entered the proceedings.

"What's happening, Jim?" Sarah asked expectantly from him, already aware of the answer long before they were.

"Isaac's on board the Scarsion." James darkly uttered with fright.

"WHAT?! How the hell? What…" Sarah began to counter, only to be interrupted by Holden as he laid down his communicator on the electronic table.

"Your friend here decided it would be fun to shoot him down and have him crash land on OUR ship. Thanks by the way." Archer sneered at James who sighed heavily as he averted his penetrating glare.

"Well, sorry for trying to stop a psychopathic serial killer. You should thank me for at least trying." James shot back, earning yet another sneer from the irritated Archer.

"If it wasn't for your antics, my men would not be nursing their wounds in the infirmary!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Ladies! Can you stop the catfight and focus on nabbing this son of a bitch already?" said Sarah ironically, causing Archer and James to cease their bickering and refocusing their efforts into locating Isaac.

"You're right… You're right… Okay…" James rubbed his eyes. It had been several hours since they had arrived on the Scarsion and ever since the incident on the Hyperion, he had not gotten an ounce of sleep in several hours. To say he was sleep-deprived was putting it mildly. In fact, James even wondered how the hell he still had the energy to keep going. "So, what do we know Holden?" he finally murmured after an extended period of silence. Holden cleared his throat and pointed his finger at a space adjacent to a flashing red one.

"My men spotted Isaac just several minutes ago in this region here." He said, pointing to the glowing red space. "Unfortunately, those same men were found just a few seconds ago with their weapons missing. So we can assume he's armed." Holden continued grimly.

"What's he after? Do we know?"

"Maybe… I'll have to check. It'll take some time."

"Well make the time. If what they say is true, we don't have much time left." James commanded.

"As you wish. The White Phoenix stands ready to assist in any way we can." Holden replied proudly.

"If we don't stop him, you won't be in any position to aid us." James finished gravely. Holden nodded in grim acceptance and promptly scurried away from the room, leaving only the eclectic trio to plan out their own backup strategy.

"Okay. We need to work out some sort of contingency in case something goes wrong. Sarah, you're with me. It's better if the two of us stick together. I don't fancy our odds against him alone." James issued, prompting Sarah to reluctantly agree. Painful memories of the fight in the hangar bay of the Hyperion were still relatively fresh in her mind. She wasn't about to let history repeat itself.

"What about me?" asked Matt, who was twiddling his thumbs in grim anticipation. James was a little hesitant about putting his friend on the frontlines. '_No time for sympathy, Jim ol' boy. You need to play all your cards down if you want this SOB._' He eventually figured.

"Alright, go and help the bridge crew out. If something happens, I need eyes and ears on any occurrences. It's not what you want, I know. But it's important and I don't trust anyone else."

"Alright, boss." Matt walked out of the room and dashed down to the bridge room. While it may not be a great task, he was as determined as them to do his part in taking down Isaac Eisenhower. As his footsteps died away, James and Sarah decided to make their departure and proceeded in the direction of the armory.

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked as James winded down several corridors, occasionally passing the odd patrol along the way.

"We ain't got any guns, sugar." James plainly stated as he lead them into a room just to the side of a narrow hallway. Sarah's jaw almost quite literally hit the floor as her eyes scanned the arsenal of weapons haphazardly stockpiled into a small room. James' eyes on the other hand took on a sinister glow, emphasizing his particular pleasure at this next step.

"Take your pick, Sarah. Lock and load." And he set the redhead loose, like a kid in a candy store.

"**Looks like they know we're here."** said the voice to its dismay. Isaac kept to the shadows of his hallway, monitoring yet another patrol dash past their concealed position and off into the opposite direction. As their footsteps began to die away, Isaac could not help but quip sarcastically.

"They're looking for ME, numbnuts. You only exist in my mind." Isaac retorted, earning the voice's ire.

"**Thank you for reminding me of the fact**." it drawled out, monotonously. Isaac scanned the corridor from the safety of his hiding spot, ever wary of any unseen threats. Satisfied, he crept out from the dark and into the light, silently walking along the side and keeping his trusty APM by his side.

"**Where are we going, Isaac? We've been wandering around for hours now.**" The voice droned out from its mental verbal tongue. Isaac groaned at the prospect of having to repeat himself for the umpteenth time as if he was telling off a toddler.

"For the last time, I have no idea where we are. I don't keep a bloody map in my head, you know." He blatantly screamed back across his subconscious. Suddenly, a bolt of plasma raced across him and tore through his right cheek, creating a deep gash across it. Spinning around, Isaac raised his weapon and came face to face with James Raynor, decked out with an U891 Plasma Rifle, all ready and primed for deadly destruction. Beside him stood his lover, his companion with benefits, Sarah Kerrigan, wielding a Javelin Rifle with a 12x scope and an unknown attachment. But Isaac was not about to find out. Not if he wanted to live past the next 10 seconds. His instincts kicked in and the adrenaline coursed through his veins as once again time began to slow to a crawl before him. Isaac took advantage of this opportunity and combat-rolled into the nearest piece of cover as balls of overheated plasma soared through the air, one of which singed his already disheveled and messy hair. Time resumed its natural course and both sides by now had sought out cover and neither party were eager enough to poke their heads out from their respective corners.

"I see Holden gave you some new toys to play with!" shouted Isaac from across the hall, just as his wound resurfaced from the briny depths of his already ravaged nervous system. Fresh red fluid poured from the bandaged wound and seeped all over his shooting hand, staining the platinum polish of his beloved firearm. Isaac was near exhaustion from both running around this maze of a ship and from severe blood loss. He didn't know how much longer he had.

"Give it up, Isaac! You're surrounded!" James retorted back, firing off a blind shot in order to keep the psychopath pinned down. Sarah Kerrigan also let loose one of her own. The Javelin Rifle was one of Isaac's many inventions so for it to be turned against its creator was not exactly surprising considering his prolific designs strewn across his homeland. As his eyes caught the projectile in mid-air, he witnessed the beauty and the brutality behind his device. The way he designed it was in the form of a short 5cm long stick, easily loadable and compressed enough to be utilized in a magazine reload mechanism. However, it was merely 20 or 40 feet away from its barrel that the stick reared its ugly head. He watched as the same stick that looked so harmless elongate into a beastly 25cm javelin, complete with a wing-tipped spearhead at the end. The projectile struck false, piercing the wall behind Isaac and jutting out like a piñata. 'Another downside to missing your shot. You just gave me a weapon, numbnuts. Thank you.' thought Isaac sarcastically as he yanked the spear from the wall and readied it in his other hand.

"Surrounded?!" It's just the two of you."

"You think no-one will have heard our shots?!"

"I'll be long gone by then, Raynor!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" echoed Sarah into the hallway. Isaac grimaced as yet another javelin whizzed past his blue eyes, followed shortly by a volley of plasma bolts sizzling through the metal wall as it made contact. '_Shit, these guys won't quit! Come on, Isaac! Work that big brain of yours!_' he yelled to himself in his mind, cramming as much strategy and dirty tactics as possible especially now considering the situation.

"You don't know what you're doing, Raynor! You have no idea of the can of worms you're opening! Turn back now!" Isaac gasped out in desperation, hoping they would see reason.

"I know what I'm getting into. I'm making sure you don't harm another soul ever again!" James bellowed across the hallway, his eyes still trained on Isaac's cover spot.

"This is not a game, Sarah. Take your boy-toy and scram before you both get hurt!" Isaac angled, playing to her love and fondness. Big mistake as he found out…..

"YOU DARE?!" Sarah let her rage fly loose and she threw all caution to the wind, stepping out of her sanctuary, flipping the firing pin to automatic and pulling the trigger on her Javelin rifle. '_Shit! I hate myself for putting that in the blueprint!_' spoke his inner thoughts as a volley of pointy, deadly and sharp javelins rained down upon his position. "YOU DARE THREATHEN HIM?!" she bellowed out as javelin after javelin slammed against the cover spot, her feet advancing upon it as her finger gripped the trigger even tighter. "I will stop you, Isaac! I will make sure you never harm Jim, your people and everyone else! I will not allow a monster like you to be free!" Sarah knew that as the last few words escaped her mouth she was labeling herself as a hypocrite among other things. There she was, a monster responsible for the death of countless lives lecturing the same brand of evil on morality. But there was no time to dwell on the matter. Sarah perked her ears as a distinct sound vibrated in her eardrums. The sound of an empty gun. '_Oh, crap._' She thought. Oh, crap indeed…

Isaac heard her gun click empty. '_Now's my chance. Ready or not, here we go._' steeling himself for the inevitable. Whipping out from cover, he was soon face-to-face with a startled Sarah who was in the process of reloading her weapon. Isaac spun around and threw a roundhouse kick, sending her weapon flying out of her hand and letting it slide across the hallway adjacent to them. Sarah recovered quickly and threw a short jab, which was immediately blocked by Isaac deftly. She kept up the barrage of feverish attacks, forcing Isaac to step back and giving her the home advantage. It did help that he was also severely wounded and was by no means prepared for a prolonged brawl. Both combatants knew that. Isaac took another step back as Sarah swiftly threw a sucker punch directly at his stomach. The blow barely connected by several cells of skin yet the damage was still present. Isaac coughed out a splatter of blood and raised his hands into a defensive position as Sarah edged closer to him, waiting for another opportunity to make her move. Isaac backed up again and this time he felt the cold metal press against his spine. '_F $4! I've got nowhere to run!_' It seemed like the end until Sarah lunged forward, a hungry glint in her eyes. Isaac caught hold of the chance and deftly leaping out of her path, snuck past her. Eyeing her feet, he stretched out his arm and pulled at them, toppling Sarah, eliciting a yelp of shock and sending her crashing to the floor in a daze. And with that, Isaac limped away as fast as he could, seizing the opportunity and urgently putting as much distance between her and him.

Sarah swore as she watched from her prone form as the shadow of her prey vanished out of view, her fist still wedged in the circuitry behind the wall and her feet crumpled on the floor. Sarah had no choice but to wait for an all-too familiar figure to pop into existence, his beard barely hiding his amusement.

"Need a hand?" he grinned with a hint of barely contained jovial wit mixed in with his usual gravelly tone.

"Ha ha… Get me out of here." Sarah snapped rudely. James merely smiled as he set down his rifle against the wall and helped tug at her hand and the wires that safeguarded it.

"I'm…I'm sorry." Sarah apologized.

"For what?"

"For letting him escape. I almost had him. I almost…" Sarah snapped and her knee came up, banging against the steel frame and bringing a bout of pain right through her left leg.

"Easy there, princess. Don't worry. We'll get him, I assure you."

"I just feel like it's my fault. Should have listened to you in the first place."

"It's alright, darling. Isaac pulled the sheet over all our eyes. If anything, it's my fault for letting him on board in the first place." James grunted out as with one final pull, he managed to free her fist from the confines of the circuitry.

"Guess we're all guilty of something." Sarah shrugged, passing her fingers over the wounds still ever so present upon her knuckles.

"Well then, get up. Let's go make things right." James stretched out his hand and offered it to Sarah. Still beaming and sporting flush pink cheeks, she took his hand and felt his weight pull her own lithe body upwards off the floor and onto whatever lay ahead…

Isaac was in no condition to fight. That was pretty much spoken for when he stumbled into the research lab and nearly passed out from blood loss. Only his desire to escape this nightmare of a ship kept his feet going while the rest of his body shifted along for the ride like a roller coaster. As his eyes flitted across the room, he finally laid his eyes on his beloved prize. Right in the centre of the room laid a bright pinkish-purple crystal in all its jagged, rough and uncut beauty. '_Finally. I can get out of this hellhole._' He exclaimed mentally. Running or well shambling, he closed the gap between him and his trophy. His eyes widened as he felt a shadowy figure brush his fingers aside as he reached out to grab it, feeling the weight of his body vanish. Without warning, he was flung headlong into an adjacent wall and only sheer luck helped him avoid getting anything more than a concussion. Looking towards the pedestal, he spotted Archer Holden in all his priestly, robe-like and sociopathic glory.

"Holden." He snapped quickly, bringing a smirk to the cultist's smile.

"Isaac Eisenhower. How nice of you to 'drop' in." He mocked wickedly watching as Isaac contemplated whipping out his APM.

"Get out of my way, Holden." Isaac threatened to no avail.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Or what? You're gonna fight me? Hate to break it to ya, Archie. You'd lose."

"I did not have God on my side last time." He merely stated plainly.

"I'm not interested in hearing shit from you or your God! Get the hell out of my way!" Isaac yelled, his wit failing him as anger and hatred took hold.

"If that is your wish. We'll find you wherever you go. You'll not escape our grasp."

"Hohohoho! Look everyone! I'm so scared of little Archie Holdy here. Oh, look at me shivering in my undies!" he mockingly proclaimed to his imaginary audience. Archer Holden spoke yet his voice was prophetic, almost foreshadowing even. Isaac knew that it bode ill for him.

"_Oh, child, child, child of neither dark nor light._

_Let neither guide your sight._

_May you suffer a thousand moons._

_May you never find that which you seek._

_Till the end is near and within sight of your heretical eye."_ Holden gasped as the voice of his God left him and Isaac with its prophecy. Isaac by now had turned pale white. No doubt he could not stand to bear witness to the power of God.

"His Almighty Holiness has declared that you shall be allowed to leave. However, you shall leave tainted in the eyes of those you sought to ally yourself with. They shall hunt you and shall be the end of you. It has been foretold." Archer wordlessly spelled out to a dazed Isaac who understood every word and hated it for what it represented. Still in defiance, he simply said…

"Let them come. I will defy once more." Isaac finished this rousing game and raised his APM, his intent clear. Archer merely sighed and vanished from his sight, leaving Isaac to his folly. Isaac pulled the trigger and sent a nuclear payload barreling down towards the crystal. The effects were instantaneous. The crystal shattered, erupting into a million pieces followed closely by the purple haze and warping of the black hole that once transported him here. His piece from the Ihan memory crystal still tucked away in his pocket, he leapt into the abyss and from that point forward, ceased to exist in their plane of existence. One glance before his fateful jump revealed to him two figures watching in shock and terror as the subject of their manhunt slipped from their fingertips and merely vanished from sight, with it their hopes and dreams of ending the nightmare.

Four hours later, Sarah, Jim and Matt were sitting on a sofa adorning Archer Holden's private quarters. His eyes flicked from one person to the next as if to contemplate his next words. Jim said them first.

"What the hell just happened?" he began.

"Yeah. What did Isaac just do?" Sarah butted in on the conversation. The two looked expectantly, hoping for some clear answers. Archer addressed them with a grim tone, trying to allay some of their concerns.

"We believe that Isaac has discovered a method to travel to different realms. It was a recent development but we had hoped that he would have developed side-effects from said travel. Obviously this was not the case."

"Wait… Back up. Did you say other realms?"

"Yes. Believe or not, there are other places beyond that which exists here. It is still a mystery and until recently, no-one had found a way to traverse the space between them."

"What was that purple wormhole?" Sarah stepped in.

"It is a by-product of a rare material we have dubbed Kronostyl-2. It is a wondrous material of such delicate pink. Yet if combined with the power of a traditional nuclear-grade device can tear open a gate to another plane of existence, one far different from yours and mine." Archer tried to simplify his explanation.

"You lost me at magical crystal." Sarah scratched her head in puzzlement.

"I'm afraid that is the best I can offer you. The good news is that such crystals exist by nature's law in each world in generous amounts. All we have to do is find them." He offered hope before yanking it away. "The bad news is that this may take some time to locate." Archer awaited the inevitable response.

"We can't wait around browning our noses. Isaac could be out there doing God knows what!" Sarah exclaimed loudly.

"Please. I want him brought to justice just as much as you. Which reminds me… Men! Bring him in." Archer bellowed out orders to two unseen henchmen. On his command, they dragged a gangly old man from the shadows, eliciting a shocked response from all present sans Holden.

"I believe you have been hunting your own ghost for days now. I present him to you as a gift. A token of my appreciation for your generous aid." He waved his hand towards the kneeling figure. As the figure's face rose up, Sarah pulled out her knife and stepped forward, her lips and tongue salivating at the prize before her. Her eyes widened in pure amusement and satisfaction at the sight before her.

For there sat Arcturus Mengsk, nothing more than a battered, bruised, humiliated and bloodied husk of his former self.

**Yay! Finally, one more chapter and I can continue on with the next act. Sorry if I decided to write an epilogue just moments after finishing this last bit. Had to do some more explaining and I wanted to nail down the motivations properly and set up the story. Please go read Behind The Painted Walls by izwan. He's a good writer, trust me. Also, check out my new fic The Second Sinner. I'll try and update that as soon as possible but my focus will be here on this fic. Until next time, stay safe out there…**


	10. The Returning Deception

**Epilogue : The Returning Deception**

**Time to end this fanfic… I'll be tying up some loose plot threads here and there while setting up the next act. Without further ado, let's do this…**

Archer Holden reclined back in his armchair as reports of imminent repairs and progress assessments start flowing right through over the past week. Ever since Isaac's grand escape with the help of the Kronostyl-2 and a non-explosive nuclear round crafted from a pilfered nuke, his 'organization' had been hard at work in repairing the damage from said grandiose escape, prepping their forces for their inevitable encounter and scanning random planets in search of the elusive crystal with the aid of the newly commissioned Hyperion II in their ranks. His eyes glazed past yet another report as the doors leading to his room swung open to reveal James Raynor standing in the middle of the doorway.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked as his head nodded towards the mountain of paperwork that Holden was figuratively buried underneath.

"No, please have a seat." He gestured towards a comfortable-looking armchair just across his desk. Nodding in approval, the rugged figure took his place opposite him and leaned forward before speaking.

"Thank you." He graciously thanked his host.

"No trouble. We're brothers in arms now. So, what brings you here today? Aside from the obvious…" Archer queried with a slightly raised brow. It was unwarranted, mind. James and occasionally Sarah would come in every day at the same interval and request an update on their progress in their search for the Kronostyl-2. Each day only brought them only disappointment and Archer did not enjoy observing this hiccup in their well-laid plans anymore than they did.

"No. No. I'm well aware of the answer I might receive from you on the matter." James quickly disapproved of the notion he had undoubtedly planted in his head.

"Well, then. What troubles your mind?" Holden asked politely, his interest piqued.

"I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping my crew rebuild our ship. For giving us a chance to end our own nightmare and showing us Isaac's true nature before he could hurt us."

"As I recall, you did pretty remarkably on that last bit. Most of his victims rarely figure out the truth before…." Holden trailed off, his words caught in his throat but the meaning clear as rain. James merely nodded at this compliment.

"Well, thanks anyway partner. The least we can do is aid you in stopping this madman before he strikes again."

"In that, we are in agreement." Holden reached into his own private supply underneath his desk, prying loose from its holdings a bottle of aged wine. He uncorked the bottle and expertly poured its contents into two glasses, offering one to the leader before him. James graciously accepted and in accordance with Holden raised his glass, his hand held high.

"May our path see great fortune." Archer toasted.

"And may our goals be seen true." James finished. Both men downed their liquid courage within one gulp, smacking their lips as the wine poured down their throats. Pleasantly, James rose from his seat and gave a curt nod to Holden before disappearing behind the doors. Archer smirked and grinned in his chair, grateful for the faith his new comrades placed in him. Ever since their entrance into the fold, they had served a great purpose. In exchange for their help in modifying and upgrading their arsenal and rebuilding their ship from scratch, they assisted in any way possible. Just two days ago, he had finally witnessed the terror that Sarah Kerrigan instilled in the hearts of their enemies as they dealt with the remnants of the now-fractured Dominion Empire, barely a shadow of its former glory. In a way, he was a little meek at the prospect. After all, they would soon outlive their uselessness. Just as Arcturus Mengsk did five days ago…

FLASHBACK

Terrence watched as Archer stood ramrod stiff against a window overlooking the vastness of space itself, essentially a space devoid of any light or air. It was weird looking into the abyss of the final frontier. If anyone had told him back home that space travel was possible within the next 20 years or so, he'd have laughed his own behind off at the mere thought of it. Yet here he was, in the service of the Father and the Holy God. And there was nowhere he'd rather be…

"Is the prisoner away?" Archer asked expectantly of Terrence.

"Yes, Father. He has just been released from his holdings upon his entrance of his transport. If our instincts are correct, he will soon activate the FTL drive to move towards his native land." Terrence answered without hesitation.

"Good. Everything is going according to plan." Archer mused while fingering a barely concealed detonator in his priest robes. Terrence did not question nor did he even conceive the idea. Whatever the Holy God willed, he would follow. Yet, he figured one or two questions would not be amiss.

"If I may, Father…" he began.

"Yes?" came the reply with a polite tone.

"Do you think it wise to have destroyed his fleet, Father? I presume that their arms could have been useful."

"Yes, they would have. But I saw more strength in the people aboard that vessel than the fool could ever muster in his lifetime. I merely aided them in their time of need." Holden gave an evil smile as the words passed his venomous tongue.

"And what of them, Father? Have they served their purpose?"

"Hardly. I see a great partnership with them. Imagine this, my child. Our greatest allies turned against the foolhardy Isaac who still foolishly believed at one point that there existed a chance to turn him to his side. Now? Now he'll be forced to fight against them forcibly and we need not show our hand too soon. So yes, I see them brimming with potential in our sanctuary. Perhaps the Holy God may not see it. In that case, I shall fulfill his wishes as soon as this is done. Until then, they are indeed important."

"If you decree it so, Father."

"I do not decree, child. I preach. That is all…" Archer corrected Terrence's statement. As he watched the tiny craft slowly vanish into the night sky, his fingers squeezed on the remote. A flashing red light on the end of the remote signaled the end for the stricken vessel. No doubt that Arcturus Mengsk in his final moments would see his life flash before his eyes. A ball of barely noticeable fire flared in the empty space, bringing a sadistic grin upon Archer Holden's face. May his endeavors be successful indeed…

END FLASHBACK

Dust. More red dust. Nothing had changed. Granted, it had only been a month or so since the victory on Char yet it felt like an eternity for Sarah Kerrigan. As her eyes scanned the battlefield, she could almost picture the colony that could have been built here. Now, it'd be nothing more than a barren wasteland. Littered with the stains of her crimes and the blood that ensued from the chaos that once reigned for the better part of four years. Sarah did not come here to relive it again. On the contrary, she came here to hold on to one last crime. The rest she had already let go…

Her mind flashed through the last week or so, cooperating with the White Phoenix. At the center of her attention was the confrontation with her sworn nemesis, Arcturus Mengsk. Against all odds and all expectations, not only did she have the man in her sights but he was pretty much handed to her on a silver platter. At that point, she felt nothing but rage, contempt and pure anger at the shell of an old man long past his prime. Archer had explained that his men seized Mengsk during a routine meeting to discuss further terms. Looking over him back then was exhilarating. Bloodied, bruised and battered both physically and mentally, he looked utterly pathetic staring back at James and Sarah. Her mind back then wanted to pull the trigger and end his miserable life.

Yet the more the thought followed her train of pondering, the more her gun lowered, surprising both herself and Raynor. Hadn't she wanted to kill the SOB for what he did to her? Wouldn't she enjoy it? '_No, you wouldn't because he's as much responsible for what you've become as you are._' Her mind realized in the heat of the moment. At that point, she knew she could not kill him. She just couldn't blame him. Sure he's done some awful things to her but so did she. Neither side could claim the moral high ground. "You're not worth killing." was the words she summed up to Mengsk as she left with James in tow. She moved on, like anyone should.

Now, here she was on Char standing above a makeshift grave she had erected outside the cave where James had found her after the activation of the artifact. A crude stone gravestone dotted the mound of earth sitting before her, marking the corpse's final resting place. Her eyes glanced across the markings she had carved using her serrated blade. The inscription read as follows:

**Here lies Maxwell Holmes Kerrigan**

**Son of Patrick and Elaine**

**2470 – 2504**

**A loving son and a caring brother**

**So shall he remain to the end of his days in the heavenly plane**

Sarah turned her gaze to the dog tags clutched tightly in her balled-up fist, his name proudly emblazoned with his initials and stained by the blood he spilt in the name of redemption for his little sister. The cold metal was the last reminder of her greatest misdeed, her final crime against her own family. And the floodgates opened and she burst into tears at the mere thought of it. She hugged the tombstone with her arms, weeping and letting her tears wet the lifeless stone of her making. '_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._' She kept on mumbling amidst periods of near-constant crying and howled screams into the air as she cursed fate for dealing such a shitty hand to her. She had almost nothing left. Jim was a lover, a shoulder to cry on. That was all well and good but nothing compared to family. She had a chance at one. She had it right in her grasp. Now she felt more alone than ever and she could blame no-one but herself.

Wiping tears from her tear-stained eyes, images of her father and mother featured prominently in her mind. With her neural inhibitor kept in check and almost 100% deactivated thanks to the White Phoenix, she began to remember much of the childhood memories she suppressed. Yet try as she might, she just could not conjure even one memory of her brother. Only the end remained clear and it was not a memory Sarah wished to use to remember him. So she imagined, picturing a happy family lining up to take photos on the children's birthdays. Of times spent in the park playing with her loving brother. Of days staring lovingly into the eyes of her mother and father as they spoiled her rotten with cool toys and presents during the holidays. One picturesque moment stood out for her though.

"Hey, how's my Louise? Huh? How's my little girl?" her father cooed as he juggled the baby in the embrace of his arms.

"Stop it, Patrick. You'll confuse the little thing." She playfully joked.

"Come on, honey. Can't I call her that?" he moaned in the same tone.

"You named Maxwell. I get to call her Sarah." She scolded her husband before pulling him into a deep kiss.

No one has called her by that anymore. Not even Jim himself and he knew more secrets than most people. She pictured calling her brother in the same manner with perhaps a scathing mention about the famous fictional detective from her father when he tucked them into bed. As the sun set down and the moon started to rise, she placed a single palm upon the grave and spoke to it.

"I promise from this day forth, every good deed I do, I do in your name, brother. I swear to remember what you did in my name and to honor your wishes. Wait for me, brother. I'll be here beside you when the end comes for me and I'll join you willingly in wherever the afterlife takes me. Farewell, brother." And the breeze flourished its wings, covering the ground with mist and the figure of a soul partially redeemed finally stepping away to face the future…

"**Isaac, wake up."** spoke the voice straightly. Isaac let his eyes fling open. Isaac was back in the temporal space of the wormhole, its purplish hues still coloring the landscape. His body hurtled at lightning speed down the eternal tornado, awaiting his arrival at their next location.

"What? Can't I get some beauty sleep?" he groaned as he tried to lighten the mood.

"**You dare joke at a time like this?! If you did not notice, we're in the shithole right about now!" **the voice exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Yeah, I know alright? I'd rather not deal with it now." He stubbornly defended; drawing a strained look from the figure as the image mentally projected itself in his head.

"**THIS IS NOT SOME GAME, ISAAC! You can't just skip your turn or reset a checkpoint here. We're in a tight situation now and it will get worse if you don't do something!**" The voice only angered Isaac who countered with his own scathing remark.

"We've already been in a f #&ing mess for a long time, my friend. What do you mean, we're in a f*&!ing situation!? We've been living the shittiest life ever since that verdict…." Isaac trailed off, his memory flashing back to that tragic day.

FLASHBACK

Isaac sat chained in a metal chair as the room around him started to fill with people, who murmured tales of the man in the center. Isaac did not even bother to try moving. The chains were wrapped so tightly around his arms and legs that they dug painfully into his skin, scraping the dead cells on it and was just about ready to start tearing into his pain receptors. Before him sat a panel of his peers, dressed in military garb and assorted clothing. They all wore stern outlooks on their faces and were already readying their papers laid out before them. Isaac looked pleadingly at one figure sitting in the shadows, almost as if he knew that person.

"Order, order." The shadowy figure began, commanding the audience to take its seats. Silence followed for several minutes before she began.

"We are here today to determine the sentencing of Isaac Eisenhower for his crimes against humanity. We have all come to an 'impartial' term and we would like to offer Mr. Eisenhower a final chance to avoid further retribution." The figure callously echoed into the great hall.

"Please don't do this…" he pleaded but received only silence from the council.

"Isaac Eisenhower, you stand before a jury of your fellow people accused of the crimes of high treason, aiding the enemy, plotting with the enemy, mass slaughter in the first degree, assault, discharge of firearms, etcetera. How do you plead?" the figure read out from her paper. Isaac simply continued to plead, despite the fact that most of the charges against him were mere works of fiction. They wanted him to die, plain and simple. There was no avoiding that fact.

"Please, I beg of you. Please don't do this."

"By order of this council, I henceforth sentence you to death. You shall be shot by the council gathered here today at noon sharp two days from now. This court is adjourned." The figure plainly stated, causing Isaac to pale even further. As the guards led him away in chains through an adjacent door, he cried out one last time. Yet it was not to prove his innocence. It was for something else.

"PLEASE! I BEG YOU! DON'T DO THIS!" he screamed at the top of his voice. The figure spun around once, gave a angry glare and stormed off in the opposite direction as Isaac was dragged into the darkness of the cell he now frequented.

END FLASHBACK

As the thought echoed throughout his subconscious, Isaac felt his hands and legs touch solid ground or rather cold, chilly metal. Isaac blinked once and found himself looking upon an empty room with a weird chamber just right behind him. Isaac slowly rose to his feet as he began to take in his new surroundings. '_Hmm, must have finished the journey while I was deep in thought.'_ Isaac's matching blue irises took in the room in total. The chamber behind him had a glass casing that felt eerily chilly at Isaac's touch with his bruised fingers. The tips of his fingers scrawled over it with precision, the metal and every nook and cranny passing them as he let his eyes wander elsewhere. Directly opposite him sat a broken power box, its wires frayed and torn from its rubber tubing, exposing the copper wiring beneath it. Aside from that, the room felt wholly uninteresting. But one look back at the chamber's lower corner changed everything.

Isaac reeled back as his eyes feasted upon the symbol embedded onto the chamber, a mark of its owner. Staggering back, he stumbled and fell to the ground in a fit of shock and sheer terror. "No. No. No. Not here. Anywhere but here." He mumbled frantically. Rubbing his eyes and blinking them rapidly did little to allay the pain. As the symbol became clearer, he took it to be true. He edged closer to it and his fingertips brushed it several times, confirming the truth at last.

It was a symbol of an eagle with its wings spread to each side, wielding a futuristic shied in the middle. Etched in white were the initials UNSC, the trademark of the United Nations Space Command. Isaac's body froze stiff as the revelation kicked him figuratively in the stomach, its meaning too hard to stomach.

He had returned home. The home of his exile….

**And with that, ACT 1 is done. Finito. Ended. Finished. I'll be moving on to ACT 2 pretty soon after I outline a plotline for my second fanfic. Look for this next act in the Halo section. To all my loyal viewers, thanks for reading and if you like this fanfic, be sure to review, like and favorite it as much as possible. Make your voice heard, people. There's no point in being silent… Till next time, see ya…**


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